The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-05-24
The DeS MONIES System
OF City Government
PES N1ones
and What Il Has Accomplished in Des Nome

ear
seventy miles Of paved streets, 1873
miles OF sewers. 125 miles OF water !;
mains, 100 miles Of gas mains. ninety.
six rifles of electric street railway
tracEage, nineteen parks; should not
flights of the humblest individual
be attended to as we'll as Of the
greatest corporation? From having
filthy streets, at a cost Of $4,000
year for alleged cleaning the city was
to turn to having clean streets, with
q balance left in the treasury at the
end Of the year.
Financial Management.
Although handicapped by debt OF
$3.50, 900 left It by former councils,
the slate was cleaned for the COM
mission by bond issue. and the Des
Moines plan was launched on q clear
sea to demonstrate what it could &C
complish. That the test has been
more than satisfactory Is the opinion
Of every Des Moines citizen. The
$4,000 the city has In its treasury at
the beginning Of the new year Is
largely due to the superintendent OF
Nthe various departments living below
their appropriations. Approximately,
S., 600 was saved in this way, while
there was paid to the city from the
county $4,000 more than was esti-
mated.
Many OF the notable achievements OF
tho commission plan are the result OF
the elimination Of small wastes. In
deed. 1t is estimated that such savings
would more than pay the $15,500 IN
commissioners. salaries. The item OF
| interest alone amounts to more than
| $4,000. Under the old aldermanic
system nothing was received, while
the city now draws 4 per cent interest
| on time deposits and 2 per cent on
daily balances The city's funds VIII
have earned during the last twelve
months approximately $500. but 9
portion of this was on the bond ano
waterworks funds, which was secured
under the old regime.
The new system has made 1t pos
sible to ascertain the standing OF tnt
4 city at any time, which was practical
sIsiy impossible under the old system
where each department was separate
I " handled, with no common center
4 All cash is now paid into the treasur.
and warrants drawn by the audito
for every expenditure. Uniform re
ceipts are used in all branches. E,
ery department is audited and sem
monthly and yearly reports are furI
!, ished.
Improvement Of Streets.
The year has been marked by
wonderful Improvement in the stree
q cleaning service With only $500
} t in the fund, the streets have bee
+ kept IN excellent condition and the a
I Ieys have been clean, something her
tofore never done.
: Opportunities for petty graft, amor
) ed under the old system, have bee
eliminated. Enforcement Of contra
!, specifications has been rigid. sInstea
! / Of letting contracts for one kind
. material and allowing the substitute
I of an inferior grade at saving. u
= commission has refused to accel
: the work not complying in every q
! tail to the requirements Busine'
. methods. not political patronage, HI
prevailed. On one job OF paviI
: three different lots Of brick we
!, laid before the paving was finally
cepted because the material used w
not what was called for by the spe'
fcations.
Particularly successful have be-
: the dealings of the new administrati'
: with public service utilities. Wltho
= litigation the city lowered the electi
= rates for street lamps from nine
- dollars to seventy-five dollars vel
= and few months later from seven
Ave dollars to sixty-five dollars und
u an all-night schedule, instead OF
= moonlight schedule.
IN But for an injunction secured
. the DeS MONIES " dtoi
n rates of water would have been
n duced from thirty cents to twer
x cents per 1000 gallons. and It Is
lieved by the commissioners that
ed litigation which resulted viii pr
m about cheaper rates.
nd
of Gas Rates Lowered.
m, Gas rates which were arpitrai
of raised by former city council fr
M seventeen dollars to twenty-five
mt lars a year have been dropped back
SUI the old rate. The Welsbach Str
Of Lighting Company has protested
J. refused tenders on the rate estaniisl
IT. by the city. Until a settlement
reached through the courts the
On has use Of all the money lnvo.v
700 amounting to several thousand dolii
ty- steps have been taken toward
led ESTABLISHMENT of the Chicago pre-
is sharing plan for the settlement Oh
,si- litigation between the city and
hts street railway company by which
city will have an interest in the
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