The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-03-10
From Tuesdays Daily.
Mayor Meyer and Commissioners

From Tuesdays Daily.
Mayor Meyer and Commissioners
Bangerter, Lamm. Henline and Hum
iston, comprising Mankato's first
commission government, have all con-
scented to run for full term of of
flee and filed today. They were elect
ed last summer 10 serve until the
first regular election. which the char
ter fixes early in April. While having
served but a few months, they have
accomplished more for the city than
would ordinarily be expected in a
full two years term. and in view
of the service that they have render
ed the city in SO short a time there
seems to be a general feeling that
the city would be consulting its own
interests to continue them III Office
at least, to give them one full term.
Had to hew Their Way.
Four of the commissioners were
inexperienced when they took office.
ard ii takes some little time to get
familiar with duties that are new.
Then, also, they had a new charter
to work with. and had no presidents
to follow, but had TO heW their
way, guided by the new charter.
which is fortunately explicit. al
though experience shows where some
slight amendments are needed, which
the charter commission has prepared
and will submit at the coming cleo
ton. With perfected charter TO
work with, the five men who have
been conducting the affairs Of the
city so conscientiously and well dur
ing the past few months will be able
to show still better results III the
future.
Commissioner Lamm takes pride in
pointing to what has been accom-
plished by the commission from the
financial point of view, as that is
his particular department. From a
perusal of the records, it is seen that
when the commission took hold of
the city government it found float
ing Indebtedness of $24,62770 hang
cent interest Without cramping any
department, but in addition to doing
more of permanent nature in the
matter of public improvements than
ever before, the councilmen have paid
off all of this but $6,6O7.70. 1t has
created no new floating indebtedness.
The certificates Of Indebtedness that
were taken up, comprising the float
ing debt, were issued as far back
as November, 1905.
Besides paying off over $4,000 of
the floating debt and saving the city
the interest on this, the council has
also paid the sprinkling contractor,
John Page, $4,000, being all that is
due him. II has been the practice
OF previous councils to issue certifi-
Gates of indebtedness to the contrac-
tor, to be taken up after the taxes
come in, probably more than year
after the contract had been COM
pleted, and these bore interest, which
the city was out. The new charter
provides for the paying of the sprink-
ling assessment in the fall or win
ter. to the city treasurer, and this
has enabled the council TO pay the
contractor in cash and TO save the
city the interest
Permanent Street Work.
To pay for the paving on Second
and Main streets, the city issued GER
tificates Of Indebtedness to the
amount of $2S,l70, to Fielding &
Shepley, the contractors. The city
has paid up all that it owes except
$1,6S1.35 for street intersections, while
property owners who decided to pay
in ten annual installments owe
$9,433.65. but they pay the same rate
of interest that the certificates bear.
The city's share of the paving bill
for street intersections was about
$4,000, so it will be seen that the
city has made good here, also
Besides paying off the $4,000 Of
floating Indebtedness, and paying the
sprlnkling contractor up in full, and
paying for paving the street inter-
sections, the present council has also
paid off $4,000 to $4,000 in old bills
that came over from previous councils
and were an obligation upon the
treasury 1t has also secured judg-
ments against property to secure
the payment Of many old special as
sessments that had been allowed to
become delinquent. All of these
things have been done, in addition to
keeping the streets up, building
crosswalks, storm sewers, culverts,