Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-07
REFUSE TO CUT PAY ROLL
Three County Commissioners Vote to Retain
Servers of Tax Notices.
UKEEFFE SAYS IT IS NEEDLESS EXPENSE
south Omaha Member Also Attempts
to Get the Heads of other County
Employees, but Fails for
the Present.

By the votes of Connolly, IIarte and Nc
Donald the county commissioners decided
to continue the service of notices OF de-
linquent taxes at an expense of about $500
month. The question came up on the
application of Commissioner Okeeffe to
have reported his resolution introduced last
week to suspend the service of notices In
view of the fact that the "scavenger" law
would be enforced next year. The resolu-
tion was read second time and Mr..
O'Keeffe moved that 1t be adopted. Mr..
Connolly said he did not believe the resolu-
ton should die for the want of a second,
so he seconded the motion. On roll call he
voted against the motion, saying he be-
lieved that serving of the notices brought
the payment of large part of the de-
linquent taxes. Harte also explained his
vote by saying he agreed with Connolly,
but favored a reduction of the fee from
80 cents per notice TO 25 cents. Mcdonald
did not explain. In voting for the resolu-
tion O'Keeffe said that from all he could
gather the returns from the notices were
not one-flftieth the amount of the cost OF
serving them. Chairman Hofeldt voted with
OKeeffe.
O'Keeffe hinted at a sensation which he
did not get an opportunity to ventilate
because of the demand of Connolly that a
resolution introduced by O'Keeffe be passed
over for a week under the rules. This
resolution provided that whenever the head
of any department of the county govern
ment had in his ONCE a person employed
upon special work he should be responsible
for the work of the special employe and
that any failure on the part OF the employe
to perform the service for which he might
be employed in a proper manner should be
reported 10 the county commissioners Con-
molly said he had no objection to the reso-
luton, but wanted 1t TO go over a week
to see why 1t had been introduced. Harte
said he favored the resolution and would
like to vote on it Immediately, but Connolly
was obdurate and the matter was passed
for a week
EmpIOye IL Independent.
After this action had been taken Mr.
O'Keeffe said privately that the resolution
had been introduced TO stralghten out mat
| ters in one or two Offices, but in which hG
did not say. In the ONCE of the clerk OF
the district court and In the ofhce of tht
recorder sf deeds two persons have beer
employed directly by the county commits
: sloners Ii prepare indiees to the records
( In one of these Offices the person so EN-
Lployed has been lax in duty and when the
head of the department endeavored L
secure better attention to business he Wal
told that. having nothing to do with tn,
appointment, he had nothing TO do with
the manner IN which the work was done
The facts probably will be brought out a
the next meeting Of the board.
Upon motion of Mcdonald. T. j. Davii
/ was engaged to serve notices for the Boar,
of Equalization. which meets Tuesday
Taylor Turner offered to pay the count!
SO for the use Of the county pasture a
the poor farm. The matter, with anothe
application. was referred TO COMMITTEES
The demand of the bricklayers for an in
crease in wages from 80 cents to 62Ik cent
per hour was granted
The county surveyor asked the commits
sioners to instruct him as to the name
in which the Standard Bridge compan!
should be paid for the bridge over tn
Platte river near Valley. Under the term
of an agreement with the town OF Vale,
the latter is TO pay 5000 OF the total cos
of the bridge. This lie about 10 per cen
OF that cost and the surveyor recommends
that the county should pay only 40 per cen
Of the estimates made from time 10 time a
the bridge Is constructed. so that tn
county fund win not be exhausted befor
the bridge is done O'Keeffe moved that tn
recommendation of the surveyor be agree
to. but no one supporting this view tn
communication was referred TO the com
mittee on bridges.