Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1916-10-31
4. G. vOLLmER De.
L|VERs ADDRESS
Before Engineers in Several Depart
ments Of City Government in
Waterloo.

City Manager H. &. Vollmer, who
returned Sunday night from a
week end visit in Iowa City and
Waterloo, gave an address Friday
evening in the latter city, before the
members of the Technical Society.
composed of all the engineers of the
|city in the electric. water. gas, and
Telephone departments. tThe address
lis given a lengthy article in. one of
1.-THE Waterloo papers and was upon
the city manager plan.
The topic is particularly an inter-
testing one to a Waterloo audience,
for the present city manager law was
enacted with Waterloo in mind, al
though the law as passed, failed to
include several important points
from Waterloo's standpoint and
hence has not yet been tried out
there. Mr.. Vollmer said among 9TH
er things that the present age is one
for specialists in all lines, particu-
larly that of conserving city finances
and resources. The city manager
should be a specialist. The time was
when the saloon keeper and his
crowd were the ones who ran the
city or town and were the ones who
dictated its course. That day is pass
ing and different class of people is
coming to the front and demanding
a different course from the old one.
With increasing taxes, the taxpay-
ers are demanding efficiency and
here short exposition Of the Iowa
law, as it now stands, was given.
Regarding the duties of city
manager, he should have charge of
all but the appointive officers. The
work of the city engineer, street
commissioner. manager of public
utilities, police department, fire de-
partment, the health and the ceme-
|tery, departments. all come under his
personal supervision.
The work of the city manager is
infinitely greater in the small town
than the large city for the reason
that in the large city the great
amount of work to be done in each
department requires efficient heads
of each department with the city
manager as chief over all. In the
smaller town the city manager wher-
ever possible is expected to perform
the duties of head of as many de-
partments as he possibly can.
Taken as whole, City Manager
Vollmer said that the plan elimin-
ated ward lines and party lines
dead head officials are also eliminat-
ed in time and the responsibility for
the management of city affairs is
concentrated in a manner not pos
sible under the old mayor and coun-
Gil plan. -.
The superiority of the city mana
ger plan to the commission form o:
government was dwelt upon and
thoroughly explained. The plan of
salaried councilmen with salaried
experts under them to take charge of
the various departments is not in
the same class with the city mana
ger plan which concentrates so
much efficiency under one head. The
financial side of the city is run upon
a business basis and the work stand
ardized as rapidly as possible. With
out question the city manager plan
is the coming form Of city govern
ment, for 1t is the only system which
will eliminate all graft and politics
from the management of a city,
where it is tried out on free and
fair basis. For fullest returns, how
ever, the city manager who is sin
cere and purposeful must be allowed
free play and be given adequate op-
portunity to exercise his ideas for
city improvement wherever practi-
cal.