Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-15
Two PLANS FOR THE VOTERS
Committee Files Its report on Water
Works with the City Council.
ONE TO PURCHASE, OTHER NEwFRAhCHls-
Members of Council Not on the Com
mittee Insist on Seeing Engineers
Report in Full Before They
Vote on Question.

AS outlined in The Bee Monday morning
the special water works committee at the
meeting of the city council last night sub
mitted report based upon the findings
of w. Klersted, the consulting engineer.
suggesting recommending either the pur-
chase of the present plant by the city, the
construction of new plant by the city
or the granting of a new franchise to the
water works company for a term Of
twenty-five years. conditional on the COM
pany contracting to carry out the extern
sions and improvements in its service de-
clared necessary by Mr.. Kiersted. The
communication from the special committee
follows
Your committee has received the report
Of w. Kiersted on the value Of the presen
water works system of Council Bluffs, tn
plans and values of proposed system ana
improvements of the present system and
estimate of rates, which said report Is
filed herewith and made part hereof and
transmitted to the city council.
That your committee, on. examination
OF the report of said consulting engineer
and expert find that said report shows a
careful and thorough investigation of the
system of water works now In use In this
city and OF the needs of the city for Inn
provements in the present system and re-
Qutrements for any snew proposed system,
and that said report is, in our Judgment,
fair, impartial and complete report upon
the matters required of said expert and
consulting engineer and in accordance with
the terms of his contract. Ana your com
mittee would recommend the payment of
the amount stipulated under the contract
to said engineer.
Money Enough to Buy.
That your committee with the mayor have
conferred with the treasurer and city So
licitor and have obtained from them an
estimate OF the abalty of the city to raise
the necessary funds in case OF purchase OF
the present water works system or the
construction of a proposed system, and the
report of said officers TO your committee
assures Il that the city has under tehe pro-
visions of the last legislature and the pres
emit laws sufficient funds to purchase the
present water works system at price that
would be fair to both the city and the
NNter works company, in our judgment, as
determined from the report of our consult
ing engineer.
THAT your committee has also deter
mined from said report that under the ex-
listing rates to private consumers, as liked
by the last water ordinance, there would be
provided with our present water works works. !, a
the said water works system; to pay the
interest on the necessary funds to be raised
with a surplus to gradually improve the
Rested in said report of our consulting
engineer, and that in the future to gradu-
ally pay the principal OF the necessarily
bonded indebt edness created by the pur-
chase of such water works system. Your
committee further believes that the essen
tial improvements above referred TO can
be begun at once IL the system of water
works IS purchased as suggested herein.
That your committee find that the present
relations between the water works company
operating the present system and the city
are highly unsatisfactory and unsettled,
and that you committee believes an AMIGA
BILE agreement can be reached between the
said water works company and your COM
mittee as to the sale and purchase OF the
present water works SYSTEM =
Your committee would therefore recon-,
mend that ii be instructed and authorized
by your honorable body to enter into ne
gotiatious with the said water works COM
pany for the purchase of the present
water works system of this city. and report
TO the council such agreement for the pur-
chase and sale as can be negotiated, for
confirmation and submission to the people.
New Franchise an Alternative.
That in view of the fact that many of
our citizens and, perhaps, some Of the MEM
bers of the city council are in favor of
having the extensions and improvements
recommended by the consulting engineer
granting a franchise to the present water
works company operatin gthe said system,
upon the conditions OF their making the i'm
provements suggested and called for in the
report of our consulting engineer, we there
fore recommend that this committee be
further instructed and authorized to nego-
tiate with the water works company with
a view Of obtaining the improvements ad-
vised by our consulting engineer and the
immediate construction of the same by
granting franchise upon. rates and condi-
tons which your committee may deem
reasonable and just, net exceeding the rates
to private consumers based on the report
or our consulting engineer, which franchise
shall be for a period of twenty-five years
and which proposed franchise, when agreed
upon between your committee and the
water works company shall be reported TO
your honorable body for Approval and con-
firmation, and which. with the proposition
for sale and purchase OF the present water
works system. shall be submitted to the
people and at the same election. -.
BY this negotiation, together and at the