Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-14
"A CITY HOSPITAL
DR.. D. A. LA FORCE MAKES PROP
oSITloN TO THE CITY couN.
GIL LAST NIGHT.
WILL DEVISE PLAN TO PURCHASE
ottumwa Hospital May Pass Into
Possession of City. G. Hutchinson
Makes Statement Regarding Water
works Bonds.

works Bonds.
DR.. D. A. LaForce at meeting o
the city council held in the city hal
last evening presented a proposition
to the city council by the acceptance
OF which the city may in a few years
time become the owner of the Ottum
wa hospital property on East Mali
street The council met last evening
for the purpose Of completing theil
work as a board of equalization.
The council first met in called ses
sion as committee of the whole. AL
the aldermen were present when May
or T. H. Picker gave the call to order
except Alderman Humphrey who came
in late. Captain j. G. Hutchinson wa.
present and made a short statement tt
the council in reference to the nego
tiations for the sale of the proposed
waterworks' bonds. He stated that thu
matter was progressing as rapidly a:
possible and in a way that promised
to be perfectly satisfactory to the city
He detailed the correspondence tha
has taken place between himself ant
City Solicitor Jacques on the one side
and the eastern bond company on the
other. The negotiations have reached
such point that only the technica
form of the bond remains to be settled
before the entire matter can be put be
fore the council for definite action. Il
is thought that this will take not more
than one week and the matter may
come before the next regular meeting
on July 20.
DR.. d. A. LaForce, who was pres
ent in person, placed in the hands Of
Mayor Picker two propositions by the
acceptance OF either one ow which the
city may in few years become the
owner of either a part or the whole
of the Ottumwa hospital property on
East Main street. The propositions
are that the city buy the property and
pay for it on the monthly payment plan
during a period that is to extend over
a term of seven years.
The two proposition are as follows:
First, that the city pay a monthly
rental of $500 per month for a period
of seven years and at the expiration
of that time twhtre.a
of that time the two east wings of the
hospital building shall become the
of the city.
Second that the city pay a monthly
rental of $3.50 for period of seven
years and at the end of that lime be-
come the owner of the entire building
and lot.
A Splendid Opportunity.
II ,,,,- +bo on;,,;or Of 4bo r,ovor a n r
the aldermen that the propositions
placed before the council by DR.. La
Force gave splendid opportunity fol
the city to acquire a hospital, some
thing that it has been in need of for a
long time and that it will be under the
necessity of acquiring at some future
time The question at once arose as
to whether in the present financial con
dition of the city it could legally con
tract for the purchase of the hospital
upon ether of the propositions offered
by DR.. LaForce.
City Can Not Purchase.
City Solicitor jacques gave it as his
opinion that the city could not legally
enter into a contract to purchase on
any contract the terms of which would
carry the purchase beyond the life OF
the present council The present coun
Gil could agree to purchase but if the
succeeding council saw fit to repudiate
the contract they could do so. If al
concerned were willing to take the
risk the letter of the law could bt
evaded if it was so desired by th'
present council contracting for tbs
rental of the hospital property for the
present year and each succeeding
council could do the contract in the
same way for it's own year until the
expiration of the full term of sever
years when the property could be turn
ed over to the city.
An Evasion of the Law.
This would simply be an evasion O.
the law and the contract would bt
worthless in case the council should a
any time refuse to renew the contrac
for rental for the year. If all worked
tremendously during the seven years
the city could at the end of that time
become the owner of a splendid hospi
tai property in manner in which thu
outlay for it would be hardly notice
able.
Further Time to Consider.
In view of the opinion of the cit.
solicitor that the city could not in it,
present indebted state enter into con
ract 20 purchase the hospital no further
action was taken on the mater ant
time was asked for further considera
ton of the offer. DR.. LaForce statet
that the city could have all the tim
that it desired for the consideration o
the purchase and for the devising o
some means by which it could lawfully
get possession of the hospital property
Meets as Board Of Review.
The council which had been sittinl
as a committee of the whole then re
solved itself into a board of review
and passed upon the work done dur
ing the past few weeks while the coun
Gil has been sitting as board of equal
ization. The city was divided and tn
different sections assigned to the vari
Gus aldermen. The ground has beel
carefully gone over and the list of es
emptions and reductions and increase
were finally passed upon last evening
by the board of review and the book
are now ready to be placed in tn
hands of the county auditor and the &C
counts made ready for collection.
Board of Trustees Suggested.
The suggestion was made and dis
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