The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-01-16
Contract Board
 Becomes Reality Ordinance Committees Report Unanimously Adopted CederhOlm Would Prefer to Vest Purchase Powers
 in Aldermen

board of contract and supply, and giv
 ing to that board sweeping powers,
 was adopted by unanimous vote of the Common Council, last night, after very | brief debate. The Mayor said he
 would not announce the board for sew eraI days.
 | Alderman Fred Cederholm, the So- cia1ist from the Twelfth district, in 1 troduced an amendment promptly up-
 on the presentation of the ordinance to have the board raised from the
 membership of the Common Council instead of from the members of the | Board of Aportionment and Taxation.
 For the purpose of bringing the mat q ter before the Aldermen for discus sion, Alderman George w. King, from
 the Twelfth, seconded the amendment, 1 but it received only one vote, that of Cederholm. Then the proposed ordi- nance was passed unanimously. Ceder- | holm favored the principle underlying ! the creation of the board, but wanted | the mem berS to come from an elective
 rather than appofntive body. He sai1
 he didn't believe the method recom-
 mended by the ordinance committee
 pies of government
 The ordinance adop ted last night pro videS for the appointment by the May
 or of a board of three members of the
 Board of Apportionment and Taxation,
 on Feb. l, next, one for the balance of
 the year, one for a year longer, and
 
 appointment annually thereafter on ! Jan. 1 of one member for a term of three years, to conStrute the board. | The members are to serve gratuit ous-
 remain on the contract board only so i long as they remain on the tax board.
 After April 1 the board shall have
 charge of the purchase of all supplies.
 and the making Of all contracts for
 such supplies, in all city departments
 except in the Board of Education. I
 partments and the Permanent Pave
 ment and Sewer Commission With | the exception of these departments, no
 one else shall purchase suppl fes- The accepts fees for placing contracts, and
 any member may be removed flor other cause.' The draft of the ordi
 nance wi be found in full below. The adoption of the ordinance Is in
 line with statements from Mayor Will
 son that he believes the city should
 erect a storehouse at the city yard. and take advantage of favora ble mar
 kets and buy supplies in large quantt- | ties. The ordinance provides, how
 ever, that the contract board shall not
 make contracts entafling more than Is appropriated by the tax board. It | further provides that the finance com | n1ittee shall not approve any bill that l has not first been approved by the 1 contract board, if the bill comes under | it's jurisdiction It provides for clerk at not more than 500 per month who may be removed at pleasure of | the board.
 | AIderman' Primrose, the minority ! leader, moved the adoption of the re-
 port. Alderman Brady, president of
 the council and Democratic leader, | seconded the motion. sN The Democratic | members had taken a caucus before
 the meeting and voted to support the 1 ordinance.
 Alderman Cederholm promptly in | troduced his reso ution, which was in l effect along the same lines as the or dinance committees recommends tfon except that the membership was to be made up of Aldermen, and the board should contain five members, the pres ident of the council ex-officio, and two others to be appointed each year. Alderman DeForest, chairman of the ordinance committee. voiced his regret that the. amendment had not been forthcoming sooner, and intimated that Cederholm had not acted courteously | in bringing the report into the council at the last moment.
 When Cederholm protested against 1 the delegating of power to an appoint 1 i've rather than an elective body, De 1 Forest rejoined that the vesting of the powers of the proposed board in the 1 Aldermanic body would be to rob the tax board of powers now vested in it. 1 Alderman King suggested that in view of the importance of the matter | it would be well to refer the whole matter with the amendment back to the committee for further consideration. | committee, he said, had already given much time and consideration to the matter and its recommendation was the best solution it could offer.
 The loss of Cederholm's amendment was promptly fol owed by the unan1- nous adoption of the ordinance, which follows:
 Section 1. In February, 1912, the mayor shall appoint three mem bers of the board of apportionment
 and taxation, of said city, who shall l FarNc1 I i of contract and supply; one of said. IEem bers shall be appointed to serve until January, 1st, 1913; one until Ssnuary sSrru ist, E is15; and during the first week in January. 1913, and an- Euaily thereafter. in said week the said board of contract and supply. from the members of said board of apportioumen and taxation to serve for three years from the first day of predecessor expired Each ap- pointee on said board of contract and supply (beg1nnng with the ap- pointments to be made in January. 1913) shall be from that class of said board of apportionment and taxation whose term thereon expires contem- his said appointment on the board Of contract and supply. Any vacancy in said board of contract and supply shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as an original appointment Is made. Any member oI said board of contract and supply, irrespective of the term for which he was appointed, who ceases to be member of the board of apportion- nnent and taxation. shall thereupona .,, fat to 70 he Of said board of contract and supply.
 Placed Under Bond.
 The members of said board and the of pa O a faithful discharge of their duties and shall severally give bonds, with surety, to the acceptance of the com mon council, in the sum Of $5,O0O for the faithful discharge of their duties; the premiums on said bonds, how ever. shall be paid by the city. The m ernbers of said board shall serve without pay.
 Section 2. Said board of contract and supply shall have power, and 1t shall be the duty of said board, in accordance with the charter and or dinances, from and after April l, 1912, to purchase all articles and ma terials for the use and needs of all