The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-06-19
COMMISSION FORM
FOR THE COUNTIES
j. E. Boyle Offers and Discusses
Suggestion for Change of
County Administration

"Why not enact the laws necessary
| that allow counties to adopt the COM
mission form of government If they
so DESIRE" said J. L. Boyle, who was
a delegate to the convention of the
Voters League held on Saturday.
II had intended introducing re-
solution to this effect in the conven-
tiQn but that as the matter was one
which would in all probability pro-
woke much discussion In a meeting
already pressed for time to complete
its program, concluded it would pro-
badly be better to bring the matter
before the public in the Herald and
let it rest for future action by the
Voters league
Has Been Successful
All the arguments in favor Of the
commission form of government for
cities apply with equal force for its
adoption by counties. 1t has been a
success in almost every city in which
it has been honestly tried under pro-
perly drawn laws and has invariably
resulted in a reduction of taxation"
Under this form of government we
tive officials and pay higher salaries
without materially increasing the to-
tai sum now paid for salaries. BY pay
ing higher salaries to our commits
sioners we could get higher class of
men in the Office and require them to
give their whole time to the business
of the county. We now pay our COM
missioners the pitiful sum of $500
per year, $66.66 per month, about
the wages of good ranch hand, and
expect them to supervise the affairs
of the county, including the collec-
ton and expenditure of over one
million dollars annually. True a large
portion of the money collected is ap-
portioned by law to various funds
over which the commissioners have
no control but all new matters re-
quiring expenditure of public money
must pass through the hands ,>e the
commissioners, and it is on the board
Of county commissioners that we must
have men of executive ability and in
tegrity, drawing salaries commensur-
ate to their responsibilities. at
Duties of the Commissioner
Under the commission form of gov
lernnlent it should be provided that
the only county officials elected by
the direct vote of the people would
be the Judges of the superior courts,
the, mem bers of the state legislature
and the county commissioners. The
commission should consist of Ave
members. One commissioner should
be the head of the Department Of
Finance, taking over the control Of
the II easurer's and the assessors Of
fees; one should be the head of the
Department of Public Safety, taking
control of the Sheriff's office, the cor
oner's office and the board of health;
one should be the head of the De-
partment of Public Highways, taxing
charge Of the roads and bridges, and
the county engineers office; one
should be the head of the Department
of Education, taking charge OF the
public schools of rhe county. The
five commissioners. acting as one
body, would attend to the business
now done by the county commits
sioners ~
Under, the present system, the du-
ties Of the county treasurer, the audi
tor, assessor, etc, are. largely clerical.
At present all these Offices are indie
pendent Of each other and largely In
dependent of the commissioners. I'M
der the commission form, with one
commissioner at the head of each de-
partment. the control Of all these Of
fees would be vested in the cornmis-
sioners and the Office routine could
be carried on successfully by a chief
clerk, drawing a salary materially less
than that now paid to the present Of
ficials. All the minor officials and
clerks would be appointed by and
under the control of the commission
ers
Centralize Business
Thus we would have the business
of the county centralized and the
voters would know just where to
praise or blame, as the case might be-
"In order to adopt the commission
government, it would be necessary to
get an act of the legislature and
probably an amendment to the state
constitution. If constitutional amend
ment is necessary, it would mean n
efa 70 NIL ;x,a Il. Tt