Putnam County herald. (Cookeville, Tenn.) 1903-1922, 1913-05-08
Standing Committees

finlng the duties OF the Mayor
that he he is directed to ap.
point a Finance Committee
Street Committee, and Santa.
ry Committee, and am inform
ed that a committee has been
appointed by my predecessor in
Office known as the Power
House Committee. l a moi the
opinion that in addition to the
above mentioned committees
two other committees should
be appointed by the Mayor,
known as the Committee on
Improvements and Expendi-
lures, and a Committee on Err
roneous Assessment. l think
that it should be the duty of
the Committee on Improve
ments and Expenditures to pass
upon each and every PROPOSE
tion having any relation to any
Improvement or expenditure of
money, or the mourning of any
liability which shall exceed
$4,000, and to inquire into the
proposed expenditure or liabili-
ty, and the immediate necessi-
ty for the same, and make a
written report to the Board of
Mayor and Aldermen of the re-
suit of its investigation and it's
reasons for approval or rejec-
tion of said proposition, except
such matters as properly belong
to the Committee on Sanitation.
1t should also be the duty of this
same Committee before apcrov-
ing any ordinance ordering the
expenditure of money, to as
certain what amount remains
unappropriated, whether paid
out or not, in the department
sought to be charged by the or
dinance then under considera-
ton.
The duty Of the Committee on
Erroneous Assessment should
be to examine and consider all
applications and petitions for
the correction of assessments
claimed to be erroneous, and to
examine carefully the books of
the City Tax Assessor, and to
compare the assessment claim
ed to be erroneous with the as
sessments of adjoining and con-
tiguous property, and also to
note with care the value of said
property at the time the assess
ment was made, and make shch
recommendations to the Board
of Mayor and Aldermen as in
their opinion was a fair and
reasonable valuation of the
property in question at the
time the assessment was made,
and make such other recon-
mendations regarding the as
sessment of personality as, in
their judgment, would be prop
er and just.
l presume the duties of the
present committees are reason
ably well defined. However, 1
suggest that proper ordinances
or resolutions should be passed
setting forth the particular du-
ties required and expected of
these various committees.
Free Lights to the Board
notice by reference to the
minutes of November 20, 1910,
that the folloling order was
made: con motion the Re-
corder was instructed to make
no charge and collect no light |
bliss accruing after August 1st,
1910, from the Mayor and men,
bers of the Board of Aldermen"
| presume htat in accordance
with this order the Recorder
has not charged members of the
Board, nor the Mayor, with any
light bill, since the dadte of the
passage of this order; and, in
with this order |
desire to call the special atten-
ton of this Board to Article 10,
Section 1, of the Charter of the
town, which is in the following
language: "Be it further en-
acted that the Mayor and AL
1ermen shall each receive
salary of not exceeding $1,000
Der annum." A mere glance at
this provision of the charter
will convince any person that
he order set out abofe is illegal
md void, as | view it, and l re-
'pectfully call the attention of
he Board of Aldermen to this
act, that you may act accaord- !