The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-09-28
STATE OFFICIALS PRESENT
Proposed Building Ordinance Will Fol
low Lines of State Building
Code Already in Effect
In Kenosha.

The special meeting of the city coun-
Gil called last night for the discussion
of a proposed building ordinance result
ed after more than two hours Of deliber-
alton in straw vote, unanimously in
favor of appointment Of city building,
plumbing and electrical inspectors and
the reading of an ordinance proposed
to embrace the state building code and
provide for the appointment of inspec
tors
no formal recommendations were
made to the regular meeting of the
council to be held next Monday. A re-
port of last night IS proceedings will be
made at the time.
With four aldermen absent from thei.
seats Mayor Charles Pfennig called the
meeting to order.
The ordinance as read by City Attor
ney John G. Slater had nothing of para
mount Importance in it except the clause
authorizing the council to appoint a
building Inspector with salary of
81 800 per annum and a plumbing and
electrical inspector with salaries to be
set by the council. Eligibility for build
ing inspector under the proposed ordi-
nance will require five years having
been spent in practical building and
giving up all building activities during
incumbency, devoting full time to the
office. The plumbing and electrical in
spectors will be required to devote all
time to the service of the city except
where the council grants them permits
sion to engage in other activities.
The fees of the offices will more than
cover the salaries, it was estimated by
S. j. Williams, state building Inspector,
and Frank R. King, state plumbing in
spector, both of whom were present at
the request Of the council to give such
advice regarding the ordinance as might
be requested
This conclusion was arrived at, the
inspectors said, by statistics from other
cities of the same class as Kenosha
where the inspectors fees cover the sal
aries and expenses of office, thus throw
ing no burden upon the taxpayers.
The remainder of the ordinance was
largely based upon the state building
code which is already in effect in Ke-
nosha through state inspection.
State Inspector King said that Mani
toWoc and Kenosha are the only cities
in the state of this class that have not
complied with the state requirements
for the appointment of inspectors.
Answering the demand of Alderman
Sullivan, after the reading Of the ordi-
nance, the council devoted its time to a
discussion of whether or not paid in
spectors were desired.
As the only important clause of the
ordinance, because Of its close similarity
to the state code, was the provision for
inspectors, Alderman Sullivan insisted
upon a straw vote as to whether the
council wanted the inspectors, pointing
out that if they did not, there was. lit
tie use in considering the ordinance at
all because of it's general provisions be
ing already in effect through the state
code.
"Should the council decide that in
spectors are desirable, y urged Mr.. Sui
Ivan, "then there will be time to take
up the discussion, clause by clause, or
the ordinance.
Alderman Thomey belligerently stood
out against the taking of the straw
vote, reiterating, in spite of careful
explanations by the mayor and several
other of the aldermen to the contrary,
that it would bind him to vote for or
against the ordinance as a whole, de-
pendent upon how he voted on the straw
election.
When the straw vote was taken in
spite of the aldermanic protest of Mr..
Thomey backed by Mr.. Wachs, the vote
was unanimously in favor of the inspec-
tors, as Messrs. Thomey and Wachs, re-
firing from their desks, sat upon the
railing that divides the aldermanic sane
tum from the audience portion of the
council chamber and obstinately refused
to express an opinion by straw vote.
State Inspector King agreed to spend
today with the city attorney in work
upon the building ordinance in order to
perfect some details.
A report of tonight s meeting will be
made to the regular council meeting
to be held next Monday night, when
it is probable that definite action will
be taken regarding the ordinance, as
the feeling seemed general among the