Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-22
COUNCIL HAS FINANCIAL PROBLEM
Several Large Bills, with No Fund on
Which to Draw.

Which to Draw.
The city council is expected at its meet
Ing tonight to wrestle with the problem of
discovering funds with which to pay GER
tain heavy expenses incurred by the COM
mittee on water works, of which Council
man Jensen is chairman.
Something over $1,000 will have to be pro-
vided to meet the expenses of the special
election called for October q, at which the
question of the Issuance Of 5000, 900 bonds
for the purchase and construction of a
municipal water works system will be sub
mitted to the voters Of the city. When the
appropriations were made for the. present
fiscal year there was no thought of a spe-
cial election, at least not at the city's ex-
pense, and no provision was made for one.
All of the revenue from the 1O-mill levy for
the general fund as well as that from other
sources, such as police fines, forfeltures.
saloon licenses, etc, was appropriated for
the maintenance of the several municipal
departments. The law specifically prohibits
the drawing OF a warrant on any of these
funds in excess Of the amount appropriated.
The special election cannot be held without
money with which to pay the judges and
clerks and the rent of the voting booths,
and 1t is up to the city council to find the
cash.
The bill of w. H. Bryan, the st. Louis ex-
pert hydraulic engineer employed at the
suggestion of Mr.. Christiensen's committee
to check over the plans and specifications
made by City Engineer Etnyre for a NUM-
cipal water works system, is still waiting
to be paid. 1t amounts to $7S4.5O. City
Solicitor Kimball has stated that this bill
cannot be paid out Of the water works
sinking fund and the entire revenue from
the 5-mill levy for the water fund has al
ready been appropriated for the payment of
hydrant rentals. Mr.. Bryan, It is presumed,
Will want his money. and the city council
will have to find it.
Mr.. Jensen's committee at the beginning
of the present month was authorized to
employ an expert hydraulic engineer to
revise the city engineers plans and speci-
fications for a municipal water works plant,
but the question has arisen since the city
solicitor announced that the water works
sinking fund could not be used for such
purposes, as to where the money to pay
the expert with is to come from.
Another expense for which the city coun-
ell will be called upon in a few days to
provide funds, is the cost of publishing the
booklet which Mr.. Jensen's committee
deemed necessary to educate the voters of
this city on the water works question. The
contract for printing this booklet as the
committee designates 1t, was awarded to
the Franklin company, which is to receive
S.Ol per page for 1000 copies. 1t is said
that the Franklin company originally Of
fered to print the booklet for 81 cents per
page, but the price was raised 20 cents on
the committee deciding to make the work
somewhat more elaborate than first in
tended.
Although there are over 1900 voters IN the
city, Mr.. Jensen's committee decided tC
only have 1000 copies Of the booklet printed
Mr., Jensen stated yesterday that it wa,
the plan of the committee to place one Of
two copies of the work in every store IN
the city, in each of the lodge rooms anC
club houses of the several fraternal or
CARNATIONS, the public library and othe-
places. This, he said, would take abou
800 copies and the remainder would b.
kept at the city hall for distribution to an!
person who might call for one.
William Fisher, manager of the Franklin
Printing company. said he was not losinl
any sleep over the chance OF getting pait
for the printing of the booklet. There 1
l money in the judgment fund" he said, "ant
1t will be an easy matter to bring suit an,
4 secure a judgment II the doe
' not find some means whereby to pay m.
bill. I SIN not worrying. the. city is goo,
: for the money. anyhow" The booklet, 1
3 is said, will contain lbs to $50 pages o
printed amtter. No Information, however