The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-07-23
Annual Audit of City's Accounts
Shows That Laws are Being
Violated in kenosha
OFFICIALS DEALING WITH CITY
Audit Shows That the City is Solvent
and Controls Large Amount of Prop
erty in Different Departments
recommendations Made


of the books of the city has been sub
mitted to the City Council by John E.
Reilly Of Milwaukee and the report
contains some very interesting facts.
In his report Mr.. Reilly calls up some
of the abuses that he has discovered
in Connection with the operation Of the
city. The report contains a complete
balance sheet of the city's finances. In
introducing his balance sheet the audi
tor says. 5'st
Milwaukee, Wis, July Is, 1905.
To the Honorable Mayor and Common
Council Of the City of Kenosha, Wis.
Gentlemen
s" Pursuant to the contract entered
into with your honorable body on the
18th ulto. we beg to submit our report
of the results of the examination of
departments of the city for the year
from May LIST 1907 to April Both 1908.
"The departments examined which
came under last years audit also were
city treasurer, city clerk, Board of Ed
ucation, Board Of Water Commissioners,
Gilbert M. Simmons Library, police
department, Justices Of the Peace, and
in addition the fire department pension
fund, police department pension fund,
which were created during the course
of the past year.
"a balance sheet containing the
capital assets and liabilities, the prep
aration Of which was recommended in
our last years support, is also sub
mitted herewith.
In preparing this balance sheet it
was necessary to examine the records
back to April 4, 1850, the date of the
first meeting of your Common Council.
"We could not, however, verify the
classification of certain disbursements
prior to 1882, the original vouchers Of
that period having been destroyed be-
cause Of lack of storage space.
"Our findings, criticisms, recommen-
dations and financial statements follow.
'We noticed that the past year the
following aldermen rendered service to
the city to the amounts noted.
.. A. Tommassen ...........$ 1886
John W. Wade ............... 66.19
Peter Pirsch u Co............. 1870
J. 81. FULLY .................. 414.75
J. II. O'Brien ............... 966.75
"This is in direct violation of Chap
ter 40 A Section 92o-255 which reads
as follows.
!" No city officer shall be interested
directly or indirectly in any improve
ment or contract to- which the city is
party. ........
City Treasurer
No income is noted on his records
for interest earned on the average
daily bank balances in the city's funds
Mention was made of the fact in our
last report that this should be one of
the sources of revenue of your city.
We notice also that no revenue is re-
ported from licenses issued. Junk Deal
ers while during the preceding year
the income from this source was $500.
A shrinkage is also noted of $4,000
in Dog Licenses as compared with the
preceding year. If the ordinances pre-
scribing the fees for the granting of
these licenses are valid the above de-
creases would indicate laxness on the
part of those entrusted with their en-
forcement.
"Of the assessed taxes for 1907,
$348.80 personal taxes still remains ur-
paid. In this connection your atten-
ton is called to the fact that $1,124.06
unpaid personal taxes for the years
1904, 1905 and 1906 was related during
the past year through failure to en-
force Section 100, Chapter 40, of the
Revised Statutes of 1898. We would
recommend the enforcement Of this law
in the collection of the 1907 unpaid
personal taxes.
Police Department
''The report of the chief of police
for the quarter ending Nov. 80, 1907,
contains receipts of $819.45 and dis
Of $316.13. The latter
was retained by him for ex-
penses he claimed to have paid out
going after prisoners.
cit was impossible to verify al the
items making up this amount and in
order to avoid similar deduction in
the future we would recommend that
the Justices of the Peace be required |
to show on their recapitulation state