Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-12-28
CITY MANAGER Plan
QUESTION CERTAIN TO HAVE
CONSPICUOUS PLACE IN LEG.
lsLArURE THIS WINTER.
INTERESTING FACTS GATHERED
~ STATE LAW LIBRARIAN
City in Oregon Tells How il Escaped
Bankruptcy by Employment Of City
Manager and Inauguration Of Bust.
ness Methods -Deyos to Urge Lesis-
Iaturs to Enlarge State Aid.

Iature to Enlarge State Aid.
Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Dec. 28.-Discussion Of
the city manager idea in municipal
government Is certain to have con-
spicuous place In the state legislature
this winter and afterwards in the state,
whether Iowa laws be amended SO as
to permit Of the employment Of gem
eral manager or not. A. ]. Small. law
librarian, has been securing for his
legistive reference department. some
valuable information regarding the
same. One Of the most concise state
ments Of the benefits Of the city man.
: ager system has come from La Grande.
Ore, which city b year ago adopted
that form Of management. The state
ment follows:
People elect commission and COM
mission appoints manager; the man
ager appoints all others except mu-
nicipal judge. La Grande was the sixth
city to adopt the commission manager
form. It was dire necessity that
Ronde valley to adopt this form There
was $4,000 floating warrant indebted
ness and $2S4,000 bonded debt, as as
sessment of but $3.000,OOO city war
rants were refused by the banks even
z at 80 cents on the dollar. The coun-
cilmanic form of government proved
Its ability to cope with the situation.
The people elected a very able and
representative commissions general
merchant, butcher, packer and ship
per. and railroad engineer with a
passenger run out of LaGrande, were
elected. They appointed F. j. Lafky, of
Salem, manager.
The city business was recognized
by steady stages. Economy was the
watchword. Nothing necessary was
left undone, however. Warrants were
paid up until but s57, 900 were out in
September. These will increase to
about $4,000 by Jan. 1. The next tax
levy will reduce this by nearly half
Dealers no longer add 10 per cent to
their bills against the city.
Some warrants were recently sold at
par. sacrificing only a small amount
OF accrued interest. It was planned to-
issue short term serial bonds, but the
market went to pieces and they were
never voted. We don't need them now.
This floating debt was created orig
inally in building another story on the
city hall. installing fremen's quarters.
hre alarm system, chemical auto
truck, and paving about the city and
government property, and the neces-
sary expenditures connected with in
stalling mountain water system, a
complete sewer system with septic
.vAN 1ap. - A. !
chinery to keep it clean, securing a
Carnegie library and a fine city park
with chautauqua building. These things
belong mainly to the period preceding
the last year. They are mentioned
since they caused the floating debt. The
debt has been reduced to proportions
readily handled after next tax paw
ment.
More State Aid For Schools.
More extended state aid for support
of the public schools will he strongly
urged upon the legislature by State
Superintendent A. NJ. Deyoe. The state,
is now giving, in very limited way.
aid for schools giving normal training
and to other schools for vocational
work. The high school normal train
Ing law. according to the state super.
intendent, has done more in the past
three years in Transforming courses Of
study in high schools than anything
that has ever been done in the state.
There are now seventy-five or eighty
OF the consolidated schools, the most of
them due to the encouragement of
state aid.
Some Of the best schools in the
state, including high school depart
ments, will be found in consolidated
districts" says Superintendent Deyoe.
Farming communities will more
readily increase their taxes for the
support of schools when the state Of
fers financial support. Some system of
taxation should be devised whereby q
certain proportion Of the funds raised
for the support of the schools shall
come directly from the state instead
Of all coming from local taxation, such
aid to be given on the basis Of merit.
This fund may properly be derived
partly from some form of inheritance
tax and partly from q tax on public
utility corporations, or from special
4millage tax. Until such time as some
satisfactory plan Is arranged, the fund
must ~be provided from a special APP
preparation from the general state
fund. There can be no expenditure by
che state more beneficial to the state
ct large. Expenditure Of funds for
schools and roads touches the very
home and community life Of the people.
I. Public utilities such as railroads.
telegraph and long distance telephone
systems are patronized by the state as
aswhole and not simply by the locali-
ties which are intersected by such
lines. The revenues derived from
taxation on such system or corpora
1 lions should be distributed for the BEN
ehtsof the state as q whole. We desire
to reiterate our recommendations
made in the last biennial report con-
y eesn!2s the partial support Of our pub
lie system OF elementary and second
ary education by provision for and
grAnting state aid to public schools
based on fixed standards for equipment
and excellence Of school buildings, SUBJ
Jects taught. and qualifications Of
te4thers employed, etc. State and ma
ticnal substituting Of public schools
should be dependent upon and proper
Tomato to local interest and liberality
IN their support, properly protecting
the community weak in financial re-
sohrces. However, there are practical
" no Impoverished districts in Iowa.
I ~ Il Of Vital importance that country
communities provide better educational