Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1911-11-02
IMPORTANT
AMENDMENT
TO THE CHARTER
MAYOR LACHMUND SAYS 1T WILL
SAVE THE CITY HALF A MIL
LION-WOULD CHANGE MODE
OF LETTING PAVING WORK.

With but seven of the city alder
men in their regular places, the
council met last night to consider
unfinished business left over from
Mondays session.. and to consider
proposals for amendments to the ex-
isting city charter.
Councilman Lafky's motion that
the city Immediately purchase a Stu
debaker street sweeper was objected
to by Mr.. Huckestein, and amended
to read that the matter Of purchas
ing a street sweeper should be fur
ther investigated by that body before
the particular make should be de-
cided upon.
The regular monthly payroll of the
street department was ordered paid
and the city fathers proceeded at
once to consider the proposal of the
Ellis amendment to the city charter
of Salem. Mayor Lachmund stated
that this was the most important
measure to come before the people
at the coming election in December,
and that its adoption would save to
the people of Salem 100000 annU-
ally as well as a vast amount of
trouble and inconvenience. The pro-
posed amendment reads as follows
Section l. That section 26 of the
charter of the city of Salem, Oregon,
OF the act of the legislative assembly
of the state of Oregon, approved
February 10, 1901, be amended so
as to read as follows:
Section 26. The council in i'm
proving any street or streets, or any
part or parts thereof within the city
of Salem, Oregon, shall require from
the city engineer plans, specifica-
tions and estimates for two (2) or
more kinds of appropriate improve
ments, at least one of which must
be of a non-patentable kind, and the
probable total cost of each class of
improvement, and the city engineer
shall file said plans, specifications
and estimates in the office of the city
recorder of the city of Salem, Ore
gon. If the council shall find such
plans specifications and estimates to
be satisfactory it shall approve the
same, and shall determine the limits
of the street proposed to be i'm
proved, and the council shall, by res
olution, declare its purpose and in
tention of making said improvement
| and determine the portion of the
street to be improved. The action
of the council in declaring its inten-
ton to improve any street or streets,
or any part or parts thereof, apprOv-
ing and adopting the plans, specifi-
cations and estimates of the city en-
gineer, and determining the portion
of the street to be improved may
all be done at one and the same
meeting of the council Upon the
passage of such resolution by the
council, the recorder shall duly give
notice by publication for not less
than five (5) successive days in
daily newspaper published in the
city of Salem, Oregon, inviting bids
for making said improvement. Each
ibid submitted must be accompanied
by a certified check equal is amount
to 10 per cent of the amount of the
bid When such bids are received,
and the amount of the lowest respon-
sible bid for each kind or Gloss of
improvement has been ascertained,
the council shall by resolution, de-
termine the character of the improve
ment to be laid and the lowest re-
sponsible bid; provided that no grade
or Improvement mentioned in this
section or in section %, except the
original establishing of the grade, can
be made without ten 10) days no.
tice thereof being first given by pub
lication in some daily newspaper pub
lished in the city of Salem, Oregon;
provided however in the case Of the
! improvement of any street or any
part thereof, such notice shall not
be required to be published until the
council has determined the kind and
character of the imrovement to be
made as herein specified When the
council shall have determined the
kind of improvement to be made and
the lowest bid submitted therefor. the
recorder shall return to the respec-
| tive bidders whose bids have been
rejected the checks submitted with
their said bids, and shall retain the
check accompanying the bid selected
and adopted for the Improvement by
the council Such check shall be
held until such time as a remon-
STRANGE is filed sufficient to defeat
said improvement, the contract and
bond executed, as provided by law,
or ordered returned by the council.
Section 2. That section 81 of the
charter of the city of Salem, Ore
gon, being section 81 of the above
entitled act, be amended so as to
read as follows
Section 81. In case the notice
be for the improvement of a street
or part htereof and the. same shall
not have been defeated by a remon-
STRANGE, as provided in section 2S,
the council shall direct the mayor and
| recorder of the city to enter into a
contract with the person. persons.
firm or corporation submitting the
lowest bid as hereinbefore provided
to make said improvement, and shall
require any such contractor to exc
cute a good and sufficient bond and
undertaking in sum equal to the
amount of the contract price, condi-
toned to make said improvement
according to the plans and specifica-
tions and according to the terms and
conditions OF such contract, and to
complete the same within a reason
able time to be determined by the
council. After such contract and
bond are executed and the council
have thereby ascertained and deter
mined the actual cost of such i'm
provement including a sum not to
exceed per cent OF such contract
price for engineering expenses. ac-
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