The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-02-08
subcommittee Of Citizens Commit
tee of keokuk Will go to Des
Moines to Present the
Bill.
WOULD BENEFIT CITIES
Enable Them to Have Department for
Development and General
Welfare Which Would
Aid In Many Ways.

The enactment of law authoriz
ing cities to establish by ordinance,
upon the approval OF the voters,
department of publicity, development
and general welfare, and to levy tax
for its support will be asked this
week Of the Iowa legislature by sub
committee of the recently appointed
citizens committee. The bill will be-
presented to the law-making body
probably on Thursday afternoon or
Friday. Mayor J. F. Elder and At
torneys A. Hollinsworth and I. A.
Craig went to Des Moines this after
noon and will be joined tomorrow by
John Nagel and A. E. tombstone.
other members of the committee, and
to accompany them.
The bill in full was recently pub
lished by The Gate City, but since
that time it has been revised, making
the new draft of interest to readers
1t follows.
sembly OF the state. of Iowa:
Section /. Any city in this state,
including those organized under spec
ial charter, shall have power to estab-
fish by ordinance, upon the terms and
conditions hereinafter prescribed, a
council, said department to be known
as the Department of Publicity, De-
yelopment and General Welfare" and
the mayor, with the approval of the
council. shall have power to appoint
superintendent of such department.
may be necessary to perform the
work of said department, upon such
compensation as may be fixed by res
olution of such city council
Sec. 2. Said department shall be
for the collection and distributing by
correspondence, advertising and 9TH
er means information relating to the
industrial, commercial, manufacturing
residential, educational and other adj
vantages and resources of such city
and for the purpose of encouraging
and promoting the establishment and
! development Of industries and manu-
featuring, commercial and other in
terests in such city and the increase
of population thereof and for the pur-
pose of investigating, promoting and
doing such things as may be for the
general welfare of such city and in
habitants thereof: Provided, how
ever. nothing in this Act shall be con-
strued as authorizing cities to invest
any funds raised by taxation in priv
ate enterprises or to pay from such
funds any bonuses for same. The
duties of the superintendent and 9th
err employees of said department shall
be such as may be prescribed from time
to time by the city council, and they
shall be at all times under the super
vision and control of the mayor in
performing said duties.
Sec s. The said department can
only be established upon the approx
al of sixty per cent of the legal vot-
ers of said city who shall vote on
said question, and which question may
be submitted by the council of such
city at any general, city or special
election for such purpose, at which
election the question submitted shall
be- "Shall the city of manning It'll
establish department of publicity,
development and general welfare?"
If said suestion shall be answered
in the affirmative by not less than
sixty per cent of the voters voting
thereon. the said department may be
established for a period Of not to
exceed FIVE years from the date of
such election. Within one year Of the
end of such period or at any time
| thereafter the question may be re-
submitted and said department. re-
established for like period. provided
that not less than sixty per cent of
the voters thereon vote in favor there
Of
Sec. 4. The expenses of said de-
partment may be betrayed out of any
and all funds received by such city
from fines and penalties and out of
any funds that may be in the treas
uTy ol Sdlu CITY, uOt ueIiNeu from gen
eral taxation nor from special taxes
levied for other purposes.
Sec. 5. Whenever any city has. in
accordance with the terms hereof,
established such a department. and
the city council of such city shall by
ordinance provide therefor, said coun-
Gil may levy upon all Of the property
subject to general taxation in such
city, a tax of not to exceed in any
one year four mills on the dollar, for
! the purpose of defraying all or any
part of the expenses of said depart
ment.
| Sec. 6. This act being deemed OF
immediate Importance, shall take eff
feet and be in force from and after
its publication in the Register and
Leader and the Des Moines Capital,
newspapers published in the city Of
Des Moines, Iowa.