The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-07-26
Member of the Associated Press.
MONDAY, JULY 26, 1915.
TOWN MANAGERS.

interesting stallStlcS IN regard toI
the administration OF municipal at
fairs by a manager are found in a re-
port recently issued by the secretary
of the National Short Ballot associa-
ton. This form of government is fast
gaining favor throughout the United
States. In the last two and half
years % cities and towns in five diff
ferent states have adopted it, the
smallest place being Collinsville. Okla
homa, with population of 1924 and
the largest Dayton, O., with "a popula-
ton of 116,577. The spread OF the
plan, according to the report, is due
80 "a new courage on the part of
business men, who formerly have left
municipal charters exclusively to the
lawyers, but who now find that the IA
miliar principles of business organiZa-
lions may after all deserve a respect
| full reception in the mysterious coun-
ellis of charter revision committee. -
All the cities that have managers
seem to have secured increased ser
vice without correspondingly increased
| expense. Floating debts have been
wiped out, disbursements have been
kept within appropriations and thrift
| 10 evident in municipal accounts. Man
ayers work harder than the average
mayor, get closer to details and conse-
| quently discover more ways in which
to save money. For example in Man
istee, Mich, with population of
about $4,000, the old government had
authorized the expenditure of $4,000
on new trunk-line sewer to take the
place Of an old one which was report
ed in very bad condition. The new
city manager spent $1,000 to clean
out the old sewer, found it in per
feet condition and saved the city the
cost of a new sytem.
According to statistics, DAYTON
showed six per cent improvement il
efficiency under the first year of the
manager plan, while in Springfield
o., operating expenses were reduced
from $45o,ooO to 100000 during The
first year and a floating debt of 800,
600 wiped out in IA months. Meanwhile,
the town was getting more servic,
than before; the area cleaned by Thu
street cleaning department was in
creased p per cent, and garbage col
lection, formerly provided for only
small section of the city, was extend
ed to every house.
1t is interesting to note that in mos
cases managers have been chosen fror
out of town. the majority of them be
ing engineers with experience in mr
| nicipal work. Some who have mad
good in small places have been Ell
! gagged by larger communities at an il
| crease in salary, and thus the profe:
| sion of city manager seems to hav
1 been securely established already. Sa
: aries range all the way from 81, SO
4 to $4,000, but in places about tn
size of Brattleboro the amount is b,
/ tween $4,000 and $4,000. Cadillac
Mich, with a population of 8,37
4 has had a manager since Januar,
1914, and pays him $4,000, Will
Sumter, S. c., population 500, ha
been employing manager since jan
l uary, 1913 and now pays him $4,000
4 These figures and facts should be {
( interest TO Brattleboro people, VIII,
The Reformer believes, are gradual
coming to realization cf the exec
sive cost of this town S present metl
: Cd of government and the unsatisfa
tory results achieved under it.