The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-05-13
AND DEs MONIES HAS OFFICIALS
THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE.
Commissioners Hold Daily Meetings
and Complaints Are Attended to
Without Delay-citys Books
Open to Everyone.

paid $1,000 a year for their services
The mayor gets $500 year. The
city gets for these salaries the en-
tire tim cof the councilmen They
are at their Offices in the city hall
from o'cloch !a the morning untN
> o'clock in the afternoon. 1scy
hold regular meetings every after
noon at o'clock. Frequently they
hold two meetings daily and some
times three meetings
The citys business is not allowed
to accumulate. It is not delayed I'm
portaut matters affecting the indiyid
ual taxpayers, or any special section
Of the city. or any community or
ncighborhood, are not placed on NE
in the various departments TO await
the fortnightly meeting Of the coun-
Gil. Under commission government
the people get what they want
when they want it,
Does a sewer become cloggcd dur
ing rainy weather and oyerflows,
making life burden to the resident
of that locality, it is reported by
one OF the property owners affected
to the street department and the
repairs are made in few houN
Under the old system the neighbor-
hood would be compelled to suffer
the annoyance for week or two
until the council met Then the case
would be reported to the council;
the council would refer it to me
committee on streets and alleys and
that committee would send the com
plant to the board of public works.
Then the board of public works
would endorse the complaint and
send it to the street commissioner.
After four or five weeks persistent
proddng on the part of the suffer.
Ing citizens the repairs might reas.
onably be expected.
1t may be argued that under the
old ward system the same punctu.
ality might have been exercised by
the street department 1t might have
been, but ii never was-not In Dcs
] Moincs, at least There was circum.
locutiou instead of direct action.
: There was no direct responsibility
and the people We're compelled to
wait for improvements until their
! complaints had reached the end of
| the red tape system. There Is a
great difference where there Is in.
diyidual responsibility. Under the
present plan the work is done in a
| few hours. Under the ward repre-.
sentation plan the work is done in
few weeks.
The receipts and disbursements of
the city OF Des Moincs are between
100000 and one million dollars a
year For only three years in the
entire history of the city has the
council kept within the appropria.
: tons. Every year the city has been
running into debt, which would be
carried over To absorb the appropri-
'ns of the next year. When the
| commission government became Op-
orauyc. April /. the commissioners
found q debt Of $4,000 left by the
old council, and no provision was
made 10 meet IL except from the rev.
cnucs derived from this years tax
levy II is this haphazard business
management that keeps municipalities
In debt and compcls bond issues
whore bond issues are unnecessary
Commissioner Charles W. Schr1mm.
at the head OF the departmcn' Of
accounts and finances, Is legtiy re-
. sponsib!e now for keeping the Guys
expenses within its revenues. Ito has