The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-17
MAYORS 0. K.
Hereafter 1t Will Be Necessary
to Purchasing Orders.
Indiscriminate Buying Is to Be
Stopped.
METHOD WAS SLIPSHOD
Heads of Departments Bought
as They Pleased.
Now Be Done On ReQuisition
Approved by Mayor.
METHOD WAS SLIPSHOD

IldJOI WALL DC 1AlcQS directly I0SpO1l-
sible for every cent the city spends.
No city official will be allowed to con-
tract bill against the city unless he
has on file in his office the written
requisition for the goods, signed by the
mayof.
If the street commissioner wants
new shovel. he must get written per-
mission from the mayor to buy it. If
the police station needs a package of
matches or a new supply of bug poison,
the mayor must sign his name to the
requisitien. If the city engineer wants
sheet of drafting paper, it can't be
bought until the mayor has been con
WINGED that it is something the city
needs in it's business and that the price
is right.
This is the most sweeping financial
reform attempted in the recent history
of the city of Topeka, and it is likely
to be productive of good results. At
present the mayor and the auditing
committee never know what the heads
OF departments are buying. or how
much they are paying, until the bills
come in to be paid. Then it is too late
to kick.
AS it goes now. the city is an easy
graft for those who get its patronage.
1t pays extremely high prices. for
everything. The heads of the various
departments apparently make no effort
to buy cheap, with the possible excep-
ton of the fire marshal who already
has the reqEjsition system fully estab-
lished in his department. Everything
needed for the fire department is
bought on acquisitions signed by Chief
Wilmarth But in some of the other
departments. the city has been held I'D
ana robbed in the most barefaced man
ner, simply because the head of the
department didn't care how much he
paid An example of this is to be
found in the city physicians office,
where 1t was discovered some time ago
that the city was paying from 80 to so
per cent. more for all kinds of drugs
ana supplies than the druggist charged
the general run of large customers.
Th1S reform will be instituted at the
council meeting this evening, when s.
A. SWendson will introduce a resolution
making provision for the changes. This
resolution was prepared after a CONSUL
tatlon OF several of the leaders in the
council, and is assured of sufficient
backing to pass. There will likely be
no opposition to it.
Mayor Bergundthal said today: 81
don't want to cast any reflections on
any of the city's departments but any,
one knows who is familiar with the
situation, that the city is paying too
much for it's supplies The new plan
will enable the mayor to keep in close
touch with what is being bought and
AA4cAC A11A E0SpOIlSlDl0 LOT expenditures.
1T is expected that under the new
plan, each city official or head of a
department will at the beginning of
each month submit an estimate on the
miscellaneous needs of his department
for the month. We will then buy the
goods as cheapIv as we can. BY buying
in quantity, we will get better prices.
1.-THE most apparent holdup which has
been persistently perpetrated on the
city is in the matter of printing. We
I how I.,1r1x j.
money for letter heads, envelopes, and
all sorts of printing; a great deal more
| than is necessary.
1.-THE natural result of this new sys-
tenn will be to give the city's business
| to the firm which will do it the cheap
est. If one printing firm agrees to
! handle all the city's work at a lower
rate than any other firm, it will get all
the business. If one druggist will give
US low prices on drugs, there's where
our trade will go. We are going to try
to run the city on a more business-like
| and economical basis
The following is the resolution which
will be introduced at the council meet
ing this evening:
Whereas, With due Difference to all
and no possible reflection upon any,
| it is apparent from a close inspection
of the miscellaneous bills against the
city from month to month that the
city does not always get the lowest
/
material for city use, such conditions
resulting largely from the fact that
each office or department buys indie
pendently for its use, there being no
centralized information, inspection or
supervision as to the purchase of goods
and material for the use of the city,
therefore, in an effort to prOmulgate
the most rigid economy, in the pur-
chase of all goods, material and sup
plies for the use of the city, that may
| be possible and consistent with the
maintenance of quality necessary for
good service, be it
Resolved by the mayor and council
of the city of Topeka, as follows:
THAT each city officer or the head of
each department shall on the first day
of each month make, originate and
transmit or deliver to the mayor a
requisition duly signed, giving the full
details in writing of an estimated sup
ply of all goods and material necessary
month; that the mayor upon receipt of
such requisition shall, if he deem adj
viSable, endorse his approval upon the
same and shall dispose of the requisi-
| ton as follows: He may upon COM
petitive bid, purchase the goods at the
| lowest cash price, subject to any
agreed cash discount, he may turn the
requisition over to the city clerk with
instruction to purchase on competitive
bid at lowest cash price subject to
return the requisition to the officer or
head of department originating the
same with instruction to purchase at
the lowest competitive cash price sub
ject to any agreed cash discount. Pro-
vided that all acquisitions, contemplate
ling large expenditures shall, as has
been the custom in the past, be re-
lferred OF presented by the mayor tc
the council for disposition, and that fol
the purposes and in accordance Witf
directions above set forth, 1t is hereby
ordered and directed that no officer OF
ihead of department shall purchase any
goods or material of any kind what
ever for use of the city. until he shall
have on file in his office a requisition II
writing duly approved by the mayor
as his authority for such purchase, and
it is hereby further ordered and di
rected that the mayor, carry into exc