Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-11
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PAVING es@.bSo
ro,s, Sos. rs
II the amount Invested in park grounds
and park. improvements, were added, the
total would be considerably over N0,OOO,O00.
Against this there is a total debt for dis,
trict sewers, pavements, sewer bonds anu
paving bonds OF about half that amount.
| leaving the net assets OF the city at this
date about S5,Oo0,OOO, exclusive OF school
property, city hall. engine houses and real
estate owned by the city
Probably the most important work COM
| pleted during the last year under the SUI
pervision Of this department was the con-
duct by the Union Pacific and Burlington
railway companies. These companies arc
subway on Bancroft street and have FUR
Their practically agreed to construct a via
Davenport streets.
The preliminary steps have been taken, TO
acquire the risht-of.TSal Sb i Sss ' Iong s1 beeS
needed TO AFFORD sewerage facilities TO the
west and northwest portions Of the city IL
is proposed to construct a driveway IN
connection with the sewer rer the prop
erty to be condemned.
Charter Amendments.
There are a number OF charter amend.
ments which l trust may. be secured at
this session of the legislature Among
Ffrst-The clause requiring the tax COM
missioner to take the valuation fixed by
the State Board Of Equalization in assess
ing railroad property should be stricken
from the charter. as being unjust and OPP
pgss ssonaI Il not cS pRe9nst imitStion upon the
levy for the fire, police, health, water
rent and sinking funds should be, in
creased. The apparatus and appliance
OF the FIRE department need renewing. II
the other houses herein recommended. are
nance must be provided for. The police
fund is not sufficient to support the pres
ent force, and during the last three or
four months of the year II will be neces-
sary to discharge half of the patrolmen
to prevent an overlap. The health fund
is to be protected against contagious dis
eases when they become epidemic. There
are parts of town where additional by
another one can be placed Until the. pres
ent levy can be increesed The sinking
amount authorized for the past few years
has not been sufficient to meet the city's
sary to take thousands Of dollars annually
; out of the general fund to pay the balance
upo Tlu its Bonded ihdebteSness and running
5 the city's credit for many years to come.
> The annual. levy for each of these funds
. by the charter and in order to meet the
: requirements of the city these limitations
! should be raised as followsi
Fire fund...... ..........sNlSo,WO Sl60OOO
I Police fund:..... .......-.. u5,OO l5o,OVg
a Health una .......'..s.s..s I1OVV zO,VW
a Sinking fund.-. .......... AO,OO SOO,OVO
e These changes would not necessarily in
crease the total levy to any material ex-
/ expenses out of the proper funds instead
% of out. Of the general FUND;
= raising the limit Of our bonded indebted
e ness, or else the city should be authorized
8 to assure funding bonds to take up out
k standing special bonds and warrants where
e no taxes remain for the payment of the
q same. These bonds and warrants now
SSaE f Be refunded Z aG G Pfr 4 G PEN d aesfrs oT l sns
h thereby saving the city many thousands
r OF F o11laIs snnI nray,i n interest," os Is: ohsr..r r.
relation to Jurisdictional petitions for spe
cial improvements should be modified II
so that no property owner could defeai
ID assessment on the ground of detective pc
ttions when the improvements have beer
made by the city at large expense, relyinl
in good faith on the title records to prove
7 f fafly Fe WSsn hS c Ss suS Oh fRsadd' lotu PssiFti0o q
TIfth-A curative act should be passe,
" since the new charter went into enect Il
ID Sixth-The city Of Omaha should be giyei
al the right of home rule IN the matter O
ID tho. regulation and control of its fire an
nt police pOin, departments. The power to ap
y vested in the governor. but the "G boar
d. confirmed by the city council, or else /
a. should be elective. ~ ts1o1
n Publication of oAnnpAI.SReports.
u l e .rtH- u.ENHHW- HFN EfNEtF EFTH F#
The council during the last 1--WE year
III has adopted a very sho~rt-sighted policy 4
~ the matter of the publication of the an
ne nual reports OF the various departments O
the city. In each OF my annual message
/ have called attention to this matter an
CD urged the necessity for their publication
duced the council to overrule my desire
IN in the matter, In the recent investigation
Ell made by the Real Estate exchange IL wa
ar found almost impossible toNsecure In avail
to able form comparative hgures on city eN
nd penaituTes ana Isesipts for the last nv
ZOO printing these reports, and / believe bus
lis ness men generally who are interested 1
rs mendation. II not deemed feasible to pun
rs lish the reports in full, I would advise the
be 1900 and 1904 be issued. This could be al
re sary. 1 would further advise that the ar
All Of this printing could be done for frol
s, 800 to $4,000. and the city, its onicers an
lis comparison of expenditures, to check an
at tendency to extravaganza and to trace tn
re re of't tSs city. W want this su Information in 6Tie
ay furnished is by the publication of the al
N Every other city in the country the sia
on of Omaha publishes such reports, and
other cities would be Of great value. III
mt Omaha annual reports were published rel
u NANA
In Compilation of
rst No compilation of the ordinances Of II
Ice city has been made since 1890. In II
twelve intervening years more than 80
re ordinances have been passed, amendin
ne recommending or repeating former ord
De nances. Hardly a section Of the compile
an ton of 1890 remains unchanged, therefor
rty that volume Is now worse than useless.
NY is practically impossible to ascertain VIII
ia the present provisions of the ordinance
M of the city are upon some subjects, Il
les certain parts Of the compiled ordinances
en- 1880 have been altered by amendatory
partially repeating ordinances as many
EH. twenty times.
have called attention TO this subject
eer several previous annual messages and
err desire TO state again that / deem 1t to
ties of the highest Importance that a new cor
pilation OF the ordinances be made. TIL
ov- should be done not only for the reas,
as given above. but for the additional re
lex son that many OF our ordinances have be-
to drawn Carelessly and by incompetent pc
US. sons, and a large number have alreat
of been declared invalid by the courts. MAJ
+ a. - a