Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-07-09
No HIGHER WAGES
FOR POLGE FORGE
Increase Of Pay Intended Can
not Be Made Without Disre-
garding the Law
MAYOR is PURCHASING AGENT
Claims and Accounts Committee Runs
Against a snas When 1t Attempts
to Audit Bill for lncrease-Mayor
lnausurates New System for Buying
Supplies.

Twice during its regular monthly
meeting Monay night the council
bumped up against the state laws gov
erning the condlct of cities and coun-
ellis. and each time the council gave
way, but not without discomfort TO
certain members who felt the force OF
the shock more than the Others. Inc
collisions with The law prevented the
intended increase in the pay OF the
officers Of the police department, ana
sanctioned a new precedent for the
purchasing Of supplies and the audit
ing of the bills for the same.
lightning put sudden stop to the
business of the meeting at 1870
o'clock. An especially heavy bolt
struck the electric light wires some
place, and burned out the fuse in the
court house, which left the council
chamber in darkness The considera-
ton of the plat for the Satia addition
was in progress at the time. In the
darkness a motion to adjourn was put
and carried.
Policemen Must Wait.
A short time ago the council raised
the pay of the members of the police
force SIS month, but when the COM
mittee on claims; and accounts exam
ined the bill, which included the in
crease. it encountered an obstacle. This
obstruction was in the form of a sec
ton of the state law, which says thas
the salary of no city officer or en-
ploye shall be increased or diminished
during his term of office. Another
statute, one of those which went into
effect last April, prohibits the paying
out of money from a fund after that
fund has become exhausted.
The question on the first law was,
were the policemen either city officers
or employees? City Solicitor Northup
construed the law to mean that they
were. With regard to the possibility
of exceeding the appropriation of the
department, which was made some
time ago, it Vas The opinion of some of
the council men that it would be inn
possible to increase the pay and stay
within the appropriation. When the
appropriation was exhausted there
would be no more paying for the rest
Of the year.
All Favor the Increase.
All the members Of the council favor
the increase to the police department
n, I, inso
could not be done. without disregarding
the law. Herman said it had been done
last year and nc question was raised.
and that the salaries We're as low as
those paid by any city of the state.
The argument was closed by submit
ting the question to the judiciary COM
mittee, which means there will be no
increase for the present, since the judi
ciary committee and county attorney
have aleady passed on the question in
accordance with the latter's interpre-
tation Of the law. There is a tacit un-
Outstanding, however, that at the end
of the year, and before the appropria-
tions are to be made for next year, that |
the salaries will be increased. 4
O.. L. Ingledue Purchasing Agent.
The purchasing of supplies and ma
terial, except such as are included in
contracts let by the council, has passed
by virtue of the new state municipai
laws, into the harlds' Of Mayor O. L. In /
gledue The mayor was acknowledged |
to be the city's purchasing agent, by
the council. The question came up, |
and was settled, thru discussion fol- I
lowing the failure Of some of the COM
mittee chairman to acknowledge bills
for supplies for their department which |
the mayor had purchased without their
knowing it.
Mayor Ingledue holds. and so stated,
backed by the opinion of the city So
Hector, that being the executive of the
city the power to make all purchases
is vested in him. He explained that
such being the law he expected to car
ry it out, and that he had already in
augurated a system of buying, which
included a sworn statement, to be re-
turned by the seller, covering price,
ETC., which would be the means of saw
ing the city much money He said,
however, that he much desired that the
council have some check on him, and
that the committee chairman cooper
ate with him in the buying He ad-
vised the Issuing of requistions on him
for purchases, but he also pointed out
the delays and annoyances that might
result from such system.
This taking away of the authority
was not just relished by Psenicka, who
expressed the position of the commit
tee chairman Under the new order Of
things as "being nobody at ALL"
1T was acknowledged that with an
honest mayor, ami thereby the council
paid the present incumbent a decided
the system was good
one, but with a dishonest mayor it
would be, as Herman expressed, "the
5amnation of the city"
The motion that the committee make
the purchases, Was amended SO that
The purchases should only be made on
from, the committaa chair /