The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-11-10
council DECIDES
TO BUY TRACTOR
Improvements on City
Building Nearly
Completed

At the meeting of the city council
on Tuesday evening, they decided to
buy tractor for use in grading the
streets and dragging the roads and
for plowing the snow in winter if it
gets deep enough to need plowing.
They had an unusually good offer
from local dealer and the council
decided that it would be cheaper, and
they would get better results in this
work with the machine. So the COM
mittee was authorized to make a
purchase.
The work on the city building, re-
modelling it, is just about completed
and the last bills were turned in, to
be allowed and paid. The council
had made an agreement among
themselves, that they would follow
the budget system, and before any
building is done there must be a
complete estimate of the entire cost
of it. The estimate for the repairs
on the city building amounted to
about $270O, but when the bills
were all in it was $206.35 more than
the amount appropriated for the
building. Chairman w. F.. Berry
man of the finance committee asked
them where they were going to get
the money to pay that extra $206.35
since they had made an agreement
regarding the budget and the limits
Of expenses on this building. The
committee in charge Of improve
ments explained that in the course
Of construction they had to change
the plans somewhat in regard to
partitions and the supports for the
building about the arches in the
basement, made difference in the
expense. Mr.. Bergman replied that
1t was due to lack of careful prepara-
tion of their original plans and the
original estimate and that II they
were to use the budget system, they
would have to learn to do these
things so carefully that the plan as
adopted could be followed. 1t was
6euom 10 IsJsuvIl }Bql pslseSSns
be made from the police funds, to
the building funds, since there
seemed to be plenty of money In the
police funds or at least margin of
few hundred dollars. Mr.. Bergman
informed them that If they were 60.
ing to work on the budget system,
and then transfer funds from one
fund to another, that they would
never know where they were at and
would always be in trouble.
At the close of the year they must
have a bad mix up on ac-
and that would counteract
Iii they had tried to do in making
heir estimates in advance and act
ng on what is called the budget
system. Councilmen admitted that
Mr.. Bergman was entirely right,
hat they were all more or less to
blame for this state of affairs, and
hat they had to get themselves out
If the difficulties in some manner.
Mr.. Bergman insisted on leaving
he police funds alone for he said 1t
vas violation of principles, and
hat they did not know what might
urn up that would cause extra ex-
,enses to be taken care of by the
,olice fund. Mr.. Bergman finally
pointed to the fact that an appropria-
ion of $1,000 had been made by buy
lew hose for the fire fighters, and
hat they had bought the hose for
900, there was $4O0 that would not
10 needed in that fund and could be
Inverted to something else. So they
'aid the bill out of that.
The report Of the librarian showed
hat 2060 books had been loaned
luring the month of October, to 1904
ifferent persons. The report Of the
ity clerk on the water business in
Iicated that there were about $500
n delinquent water accounts, not
et paid. Mayor Peck said he did
lot see why the city should extend
redit in selling water, and they
alked 1t over to see how they should
rrange matters so that there would
e nothing hanging over. The clerk
eported that good many customers
ad been shut off because they were
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