The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1920-01-22
MORE BOOSTS FOR
COMMISSION PLAN /
OF CITY GOVERNMENT
Results in Efficiency and Economy
in Administration of Towns
Affairs, Say Those
Have Tried IL.
ELIMINATES PEANUT POLITICS
Centeralizes Authority and RESPONSE
bility in Few Men.

Following are two letters received
by the DeSotn County News from
cities whore the commissior-mGcager
form of government has been tried
out and found satisfactory. according
to authors of the letters, wkich were
written in reply 20 requests from the
News for a statement az to the
workings Of tie city manager or
commission-man1gor plan of govern
ment. Tallahassee and Sanford are
two Florida towns that have recently
adopted this form of government.
From Bryan, Texas: The city of
Bryan changed from the cd style
peanut politics government to the
modern, non-polt!cal commission
manager form two years since. The
biennial election was held few
days since and the commission en-
phatically endorsed by being re-elect-
ed for two years. This is sufficient
evidence of the popularity of the adj,
ministration. Briefly the result of
the management plan has beenAas
follows: Two years ago the bills OF
the city We're outstanding to the
amount of twenty thousand dollars.
They were paid months after due or
when there happened to be money in
the treasury. The public utilities
owned by the city previous to that
time were making money cn paper
but never had cent to check against.
The taxes were spent before they
were collected and no one ever LneW,
Just how the city stood financially as
1t was not the particular business of
any one to look out after this. Bry-
an now operates under the budget
system, living within the taxes, pays
cash as it goes, discounts it's bills,
owes no floating debt and has real
money in its treasury to meet it's
obligations at all times of the year.
The city Is run as business should
be run. We voted the prohibition,
lost the saloon revenue, put the re-
corders' court practically out of busi-
iness, having nothing fer the police
men to do, except to lock up a speed
fiend occasionally, have a 100000
90 high school, one ami one-half
miles of additional sewers, an I'M
hoff disposal system with It's fount-
ain filters takes care of the sewage
of the city without small flies or
The City of Bryan is
the third city in Texas in point or
pavement relative to population and
is going to put down thirty thousand
square yards additional this year.
We consolidated the accounting sys-
TENS of the municipality and utilities
We now collect all taxes, assess all
make out and collect seven
teen hundred utility bills each month
and keep the books of both depart
ments, all with the aid of only one
man and girl. The city manager
being a mechanical and electrical en-
5ineer operates the utility plants and
the nine departments of the
,ity government. He understands
ais business and attends to it. The
,ity manager was selected for
knowledge and fitness" lived three
lundred miles south of this city and
lad never seen Bryan or its people
Until he was sent for to come as its
manager. The city owns it's water,
light and sewer systems, all fire hy-
lrants, water for PARKS and public
lights both street. park
md public buildings, also wkite way
lalf mile in length with $50 candle
power standards on both sides of
main street every IS feet apart. pays
interest and sinking fund on it's
Donded debt. sets aside seven per
ent for depreciation each year and i
let's in real money in bank subject to
heck, more than a thousand dollars
Ter month. Is Bryan on the map?
Veil. | guess she is. Our tax rate
5 $1.25 per hundred dollars. Our
aluatlonis on a fifty per cent basis"
From Albion, Michigan: This
lty entered into the manager form
government Jan. LIST, 1916, and
m sure meets with the approval of
ig majority Of taxpayers. The
reat advantage Of this form of
overnment Is that it eliminates pol
les. is more harmonius, consequent
, more efficient. Our operating ex-
enses are about the same but this
lct is due to the increased cost Of
.bor and materials. All things con-
dered we are doing our work more
Systematically and with less dissen-
on than with the old form of
cyernment"