Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-24
CHANGES IN CHARTER BILL
Measure Makes City Engineer Spe-
cial Object Of Wrath.
CLIPS WINGS WITH SHARP SHEARS
Tacks -Four Hundred Dollars onto
salary Of Mayor by Giving Him
$500 49, Membe of Fire
and Police Board.

Making the city engineer the special
object Of its wrath, cutting and slashing
the general fund right and left without
increasing the maximum, raising the sal
aries OF several city officials and members
OF the fire and police department. the pro-
posed new democratic city charter now
pending in a bill before the Legislature,
ties up paving repairs, mixes the various
funds, violates the famous home rule
plank of the party and contemplates the
| cmployments Of two street commissioners.
Thirty-one sections Of the charter are
amended and two others repealed outright
without new sections being formed to take
their places. One OF these is Section AZ.
which prescribed the duties OF the city
prosecutor. This is covered in another sec
ton and the repeal Of forty-two is immater
iai. The repeal Of tho other section,
Section s7. Is Of much more Importance,
say members OF the charter revision com.
mittee.
Section 30 OF the old charter provided
that the city shall be absolutely exempt
from liability for damages or injuries sur.
fered or sustained by reason Of defective
public ways or the sidewalks thereof, un,
less actual notice in writing Of the defecI
of such public ways or sidewalk shall have
been filed with the city clerk at least fiv,
days before the occurrence of such injury
or damage" 1t further provided that il
the absence of such notice the city woui,
not be liable for damages. BY the repea
OF the entire section, damage suits can b,
filed by anyone at any time. the cit,
thereby being in constant jeopardy an,
also be ignorant that there are defects Fl
any Of its public ways or sidewalks unit
an injury has been sustained thereb!
and an action at law filed.
Eleven OF the sections were amended a
recommended by the charter revision com
mittee composed of delegates from tn
city council, Commercial club, Rear Estat
exchange. the Federated improvement
clubs and the Central Labor union. Thes
are sectionss, ., 16, %. Al, 65, 80, lO7, 17'
lis and 100,
Elects City Engineer.
Section 6 of the charter bill makes tn,
city engineer an elective officer Of tn
city, adding that official to the list o
elective officers. which under the old char
ter included the mayor, clerk, attorney
building inspector, comptroller and council
men. This section also includes the cit,
comptroller as one of the officers to b
elected, in contradiction to the law OF 19V
whereby the office Of city comptroller wa
consolidated with the county comptrollel
Section s raises the pay OF judges an
clerks OF any election from 50 to IS.
Section IS affects salaries and under tn
new charter the salaries Of three official
WIFE be raised. The salary OF the buildln
inspector Is raised from $500 to 800, III
plumbing inspector from 1890 to $3.50
and the boiler inspector from S1.D 20 81, 30
The, street commissioner, an official nc
mertioned In the old charter. is granite
a salary of 5000.
section 10 has to do with the salaries {
policemen and flremen, and here. to,
raises are found. as follows: Policemen
first six months In service. raised from 81
to $50 a month; second six months. raise
from $50 a month to $65 a month; third 81
months, raised from $50 a month TO $40
month, and fourth six months, from
a month to $40 a month. Under the oil
charter II was provided that policeme
serving their fifth six months period shou
receive $40 a month, and their sixth 81
months period $40 a month, and after thr,
years in the service the regular month
salary was fixed at $50. Under the ne
chatter the $50 maximum ls reached upC
the completion Of two years service. TT
maximum pay Of police captains is rails,
from N25 a month TO $3.50, and under Il
new charter sergeants of police and m,
assigned to detective duty are to be pa
500 monthly. The maximum pay OF c
ficers in the fire department, under 4
chiefs, whose salaries are fixed in Secti,
IS, is raised from $50 a month to s.
monthly. The old charter limited all patrS
men to $50 a month. while the new pr
vision gives 500 to patrolmen assigned
the ambulance, as emergency officers
as turkeys.
Section 20 fixes the salary of the membe