The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-12-20
FOUND
Correct Is the
Annual Report
Of the County Com
miSSiOnerS.
COMMITTEE
Appointed by Judge
Dow to Act
In Making Examination of the
Report Makes But Few
Recommendations.

The following report has been sub
mitted to Judge Duncan Dow by the
appointed by him to assist
States Attorney E. P. Chamberlin in
examining the annual report Of the
Board of County Commi ssioners. 1t
will be noticed by a study of the came
that the report of the commissioners
is found entirely correct and that but
a few recommendations are made by
the examining committee. which COM
mitfee consisted, outside Of Mr.. Cham
berlin, of one Republican and one
Democrat, the bipartisan committee
being appointed by Judge Dow not
withstanding that under the law, as it
now exists, it Is permissible for the
court to appoint two members of the
same politics on the committee.
To Hon. Duncan Dow. Judge:
The undersigned committee begs
leave to submit the following report:
After careful examination OF the
books. accounts and vouchers in the
Office of the auditor and commissioners
we find tnst amounts on said YOU here,
or warrants, correspond properly with
the expenditures charged from the sew
eral accounts, and compare accurately
with those charged on the Treasurer 9
book Of warrants redeeped. for the
year closing Aug. 81, 1904.
We find under the mead of "Pike re-
pairs" a seemingly very large sum ex-
pended. but we do not forget that the
winter and spring of 1904 was of an
kind, having the heaviest rain
fall and floods for many years. thereby
an unusual amount of damage
to pixies and bridges, and compared
with years before, it is no more than
normal under such circumstances.
We have also examined the bills and
statements on file. for pike repairs.
supplies and other matters, and find
that many of them are made out with
sufficient "detail'' while others are
not, and we earnestly urge that before
any bill or claim is allowed or paid
that the accounts and claims be made
out legibly and with sufficient detail.
including the date, both for material
and labor, "to whom" and ''for what
purpose paid" accompanied with bills
and receipts for labor and material
furnished. aud that NO bills be paid
or warrants issued therefor until said
bills have been ordered paid legally.
We also urge and believe that good
results might be obtained if in the
purchase of supplies and necessaries
for the several Offices, that the same
be obtained by competitive bidding. If
possible. aud that in the letting of
contracts for bridges and similar
structures, plans and specifications be
prepared by some competent person.
aud placed on file in the auditor s
Office, and contracts awarded after
public notice. and the work approved
or passed on by some one competent to
report properly with the Commission
ers; and when it becomes necessary
to replenish any fund, by transfer of
funds, we rec ommend that it be done
by resolution duly rec )rded according
to law.
We further find under the several
funds of distribution certain items
classed as miscellaneous items of ex-
pense" and "for numerous small con-
tracts which does not fully advise
the taxpayer of the county of the sev-
eral subjects to which the public rev.
enue has been devoted, and to ''whom
paid" but as whole they are cor
rect in amount. yet, other foreign
matters are included in this report
that are not required by law, such as
the salaries of superintendents and
employees and current expense of In
firmary and Children's Home, the
principal debt and interest, all ex-
penss incident to elections including
of election officers, fees
OF county treasurer. relief of soldiers,
etc. which are allowed by the several
boards azores aid, and the Soldiers Re-
lief Commission. which would necrs-
sarily make the report shorter, and
ought to have been omitted by the
auditor in making this report AS
clerk for the Board of Commissioners.
ERNEST THOMPSON
G. g. WELLER
z. p. CHAMBERLIN.