Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1911-04-13
NEW MAYOR
TAKES HELM
Will Try To Guide the Ship
Safely Over All Shoals
The Coming Year
OLD COUNCIL PASSES
Completes Work OF Year and Ad.
ourns Sine Die-Clty In Close
Shape Financially Makes
improvements Doubtful

The annual changing around in our
city form of government occurred last
Monday night when William Sandell,
who has presided at the helm for the
past year laid down the gavel OF au-
thority and relinquished his seat as
mayor to the new incumbent, Hon.
| Elmer K. Fales.
The old council met as is customary
and transacted such business as re-
mained for il TO do before the final ad-
journment. City Clerk Eddy read a
statement of the financial conditions as
they exist in the various funds and
showed that there was balance Of
$479.O7 in the contingent fund.- $64S. 9S
in the street fund; $3,137 in the operat
ing fund of the water works; 1898. SO in
! the street lighting fund; $325.O4 in the
fire fund; S2,1l6.65 in the water works
| extension fund; 81. 1852. .62 in general sew
er fund; 1891. "A in the park fund and a
shortage of SlS9.4S in the cement walk
fund.
After some consideration of the mat
| ter the council resolved to transfer
$Sl0.6S from the general sewer fund TO
the contingent fund and enough more
TO the cement walk fund To pay the
amount over drawn. 1t was also voted
to transfer portion of the funds from
N ifAn fr
fund in the water works department,
TO meet the necessary expenses incur
red in extending the mains.
"A petition was presented signed by
36 names asking that James MeginIey
be appointed as chief of the fire depart
| ment in order that he might receive q
larger salary for the good work which
he has done for the city during the
past year in his capacity as marshal
Mr.. Meginley thought that this would
put work on him that he was not
qualified to perform and asked the
council not TO consider such PROPOSE
ton and as result the petition had to
be tabled. Alderman Gildermeister
than came forward with motion to
allow Mr.. Meginley a salary of S25 per
month as street commissioner. Some
of the aldermen took the side that this
was too much of raise in Jim's salary
and after some discussion it was voted
to pay him salary of 500 per month
for his services as street commissioner.
Following the disposition of this
matter, there being no further business
TO dispose of on motion of Alderman
Menkee, the council, after drawing
their salary for the past year, adjourn
ed sine die
NEW COUNCIL DoINGs
Elmer +. Fales then took the chair
vacated by William Sandell and made
a few remarks in which he said he con-
sidered ii high honor to be the unan-
imous choice Of the citizens of Belding
as their chief executive for the coming
year. He had the impression that the
job was a snap and from what he had
observed during the last moments of
the retiring council he had experienced
a complete change of heart and was of
the opinion thet he was up against the
real thing. had hoped to be able to
do something along the way of city i'm
provements, such as city hall, paving
or something like that, to stand as
monument Of my incumbency i'm office
but when / learned that the city was
about 800, 900 in the hole all hopes of
that kind seemed TO vanish, but will
do what can for the best interests of
the city and all concerned.
Mr.. k'ales then named the following
committees for the ensuing year: Ways
and means, Aid. Hull. Menkee and
Knapp; claims, Aid. Skellenger, Hud-
son, and Menkee; fire, Aid. Hudson,
Hull and SkeIlenger; purchasing COM
mittee, Aid. Meenkee, Knapp and Gil
demeister; street lighting, Aid. Knapp
Skellenger and Gildemeister; streets
and walks, Aid. Skellenger Hull and
Hudson; ordinance, Aid. Menkee.
Knapp and Hull; sewers, Aid. Hudson
Menkee and Hull; health, Hull, Skel-
lenger and Gildemeister; cemetery, Aid.
Gildemeister, Hudson and Knapp.
The bond Of M. Y. Gephart for city
treasurer with III. j. Leonard and Ed
ward K. Chapple as sureties was offer
ed and submitted To the city attorney
for examination and there being moth
ing further to demand their attention.