Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-25
AFFAIRS AT SOUTH OMAHA
Charter Revision Committee Com
pletes Work and Adjourns.
TAX COMMISSIONER ABOLISHED
Shift for Firemen IL Also
Reconsidered and Stricken Out
wOrkmen Hurt by Fall from
Sc~aROldinR,

The South Omaha charter revision com
mittee held It's final and most important
session last night. The questions of city
expenditures were taken up in the order.
of the report of the special committee
which was discussed at length Tuesday
evening. The arguments were longer and
more heated on all points Wednesday even
ing. 1t turned out that nearly every promi-
nent advocate of measures was sat upon
on one or another of his favorite theories
while others were decided strongly in his
favor.
The fire fund proposition was reconsid-
cred from Tuesday night and the amount
placed at $4,000 instead of $S5,0OO. The
double shift was voted down. The bonds
for two fire halls and an engine were
recommended. The police fund was raised
to 39S,50O and the police Judge is to be
paid out of the police fund.
The recommendations or the special COM
mittee on light, water and road fund were
adopted. The question OF voting $4,000
bonds for improving the city's parks was
debated with considerable fervor by differ
ent advocates. p. c. Caldwell opposed the
bond issue on the ground that such i'm.
provement should be. from the general
FUND DIR. w. ]. McCrann and ]. B, Wat
kins favored the bonds. After much debate
this carried. The city clerk was recon-
mended to act also as city auditor.
The salary fund Of s27,5OO was augmented
by the creation OF a boiler, weights and
measures and meter inspector, with a
salary Of 800 per month.
When the office OF tax commissioner was
attacked and it was proposed to do away
with the office and to take the assessment
OF the county assessor as a basis of taxa.
tion the heaviest arguments OF the evening
were delivered. It was seen that the great
fear was hat the influence OF Omaha
would have an effect on the South Omaha
assessment. On this point the men most
interested in the city government Of South
Omaha are most sensitive. 1t was asserted
that the city would be at once subjected
to sinister influences looking to forcing a
union between the two cities. On the
other hand. Il was argued by the friends
Of the measure that this would not follow.
as the South Omaha city clerk made the
transcript and the South Omaha city coun-
ell acted as the board OF review. So, after
a long debate, it was finally voted to
abolish the office OF city tax commissioner
after 1910, at which time the present tax
commissioner term expires. This was the
climax of the session and a triumph for
p. ]. Barrett, John Macmillan and c. w.
Sears. the authors Of the project in the
special committee. To compense the city
clerk for the extra work OF transcribing
the assessors books his salary was raised
to $3.50 and his deputy to u.9OO.
The question OF the number of city
councilmen was left out OF the report in
the reconsideration. 1t was, In fact, on
this point that the whole report was re-
committed.
With the adoption Of this report the
committee adjourned sine die. making C.
w. Sears, John Flynn. 8. l. Winters and
]. ]. Breen the COMMITTEES 10 formulate and
draft the bills in accordance with the
recommendation and submit the same to
the South Omaha delegation to the legis-
leture.
MsA . with scaGoId.
A scaff0lding and platform at the new
Christian church. now In process OF cree
usE a. TSsnty-third and I sEsetA broke