The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1920-03-04
COMM|SS|Gss FORM
OF Gov. NMEN7
MAY SUBSTITUTE = MMlssIoN
FOR PRESENT cS I'll AS
CITY GOVERNING oov
PETITION PRESENTED ON & NY NIGHT
Some Propose City Manager Plan as
Has Been Adopted by Many
Of the Smaller Cities.

Shall Brookings adopt the commits.
sion form of city government, instead
of that at present in existence? This
seems likely to become the question
of the day" in this city. At the regu-
lar monthly meeting of the city coun-
ell Monday night petition signed by
about 100 voters of the city was pre-
sented to the council, in which that
body was asked to call an election
at an early date at which the voters
of the city may decide the matter.
The petition was referred to the city
attorney for his opinion as to whether
the petition conformed to the statu-
tory requirements. The sentiment OF
the councilmen seem to be that if the
petition is regular in form and details
such an election should be called as
requested, and this probably will be
done at the next session Of the council.
The commission form of govern
ment for cities has been adopted in
a good many cities throughout the
United States within the past few
years. In some of the larger cities
it has many advocates, who argue that
the centralizing of municipal authority
in the control of less than half-dozen
men results in better conduct of a
city's business for the reason that 1t
is easier to place responsibility for
what is done by five or six men than
when the responsibility is divided
among a large number of aldermen.
Other cities have carried this idea of
centralizing responsibility little
farther and have placed control of
the city's business in the hands of
one man, known as city manager,
who is employed by the city in the
same manner as private corpora
tion employs manager.
In city no larger than Brookings,
with but eight councilmen, there would
seem to be but little difference be-
tween a "city council and com
mission" consisting of an equal num-
habitants or less claim to have Sc
cured good results in the conduct Of
the business of the city by retaining
the city council but providing for the
hiring by the council of a city man.
ager, to whom is turned over the man
agement of the city's business in all
departments. AS this manager is en-
ployed by the city he can be dis
oh ct
not done in manner satisfactory
TO his employer, just as construc-
ton company would discharge it's fore-
man if not satisfied with his manage
ment of their work.
The proposition to have the city pay
one-half of the salary of man to act
as merchants police, the business
men of the city to pay the other half,
was laid on the table after brief con-
sideration The application Of Night
Policemen Connolly for an increase in
his present small salary was referred
to the finance committee of the coun-
cil as was the request for an increase
in the salary of an employe of the
city engineers department, and these
two matters will be taken up by the
council at it's next session, which is
called for March Is.
The city engineer was instructed to
prepare advertisements for bids for
fourteen blocks of storm sewer A
numbe: of telephone poles that are
outside the curb line on streets which
will be paved were ordered set back,
and the matter of a new ordinance
under which property owners along
the streets to be paved can be CON-
PEELED to make connections with sew
ers and water mains before the paw
ing work will be begun was discussed.
Such an ordinance will be introduced
at the next meeting of the council.
Action was also taken looking to
reduction in the rate now charged
for electric current for light and
power