The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-10-02
Committeeman to Act As CiN's
Purchasing Agents.
ACTION TAKEN BY COUNCIL
All Supplies for the Different Depart
ments Must Have the O. X. of
Aldermen Hereafter.

council:
Mankato, Mimi, Sept. %. l9OS.-To
the Honorable City Council. Gentlemen:
/ have been observing the way in which
bills against the city or o. Ked.
and audited. 1t has seemed to me
that there are too many o. *. bills
payable. There are O. Ked. by those
who officially are i'll no way re-
sponsible to the city, or to the tax
payer for their creation. You are the
ones held responsible by the city, and
by the taxpayers for the expenditure of
every dollar of the city's money. It is
very proper, therefore, that you know
where and for what purpose the money
is spent. Chapter 5, Section 6, of the
charter reads as follows:
$40 moneys shall be paid out of
the city treasury unless such payment
be authorized by vote of the conf
mon council, and these shall be drawn
out only upon orders signed by the
mayor, and countersigned by the re-
corder, which orders shall specify the
purpose for which they are drawn,
and the fund out of which they are
payable, and the name of the person
in whose favor the same are drawn,
and may be made payable to the order
of such person or to the bearer, as the
common council may determine
recommend to your favorable con-
sideration the following resolutions sug-
gested to me by some of your mem
beers. and if they meet with your APP
prevail l recommend their adoption by
Your honorable body.
Resolved, First, That all merchan-
disc, material, hay, oats, feed and
supplies or tools of whatever charac-
ter, sold or furnished the city, must
be upon the written order OF some
member of standing committee OF the
city council.
Second. That all goods, etc., deliv-
cred to the city must be checked of
by the officer or employee of the city
receiving the same and such receipt
Immediately reported to the members
of the city council giving the order
for such goods.
Third That the certificate OF tile
officer or employee of the city SO re-
porting to the member of the stand
ing committee of the city council must
in turn be transmitted to the chair
man of the committee.
Fourth. That no bill for material
or supplies shall be approved by the
council unless properly certified by
the chairman of the standing commit
tee to which such charge properly be-.
longs.
Fifth. That all pay rolls of the
board of public works for labor must
have certificates of approval attacE,d
before the payment of such pay roll.
and mat all such payments be made
under the direction and supervision OF
the chairman of the street committee.
Respectfully submitted, J. W. Andrews
mayor.
Time Bills Were Checked.
Aid. Gary said that this report had
come through The Municipal Journal,
and the aldermen wantedN it carried
out. They wanted to do right, and
il was time that the bills were check
ed, up. He moved that all of the
recommendations be adopted.
Aid. IAtchison referred to the fact
that Z. C. Wickersham had been re-
engaged to flush the mains without
the chairman of the committee on
health or the mayor being consulted.
He was glad that the mayor had
brought the matter up, and he hoped
that from now on the officials would
live according to the strict letter
of the charter, and the mayor should
call their attention to it in case they
do not live up to it.
Aid. Eichstaedt said that the letter
did not look good to him. If the
aldermen were out of town 1T would
be difficult to get anything needed,
and often more would be lost in time
wasted than would be saved. The city
had purchasing agent, who gives re-
questions, without which no purchases
can be made. The bills should be
properly @. Ked.
Aid. Atchisoh said that the city no"
has no purchasing agent, as this pew
err had not been conferred upon the
new president of the board of public
works, and the city was saving 500
year here. There is not man who
works for the city, but WHO owns
the shovel that he worked with as
soon as he is done. Little things like
this make a lot in the aggregate.
The chairman of the committee on fire
department knew nothing of what was
purchased at the fire station. 1t was
not intended to knock anyone, but it
was business proposition, and had
been taken up all over the country
bv the best municipalities.
Would "Wise-Up" to Duties.
Aid. Gary said that this was the