Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1921-02-11
WOULD ABOLISH
COUNTY BOARD
Assemblyman Will Also Intro
duce Bill To Do Away With
Town TreaSurerS


this district. has prepared Il bill which
he introduced into the Legislature
Wednesday, to abolish the present
county board of supervisors and sub
stitute a smaller body of five members
the commission form Of county gov
ernment. He is also preparing bill
to do away with town treasurcrs and
have the county treasurer collect the
taxes
Wisconsin once had the form of cOun-
ty government in vogue that the Sum
merville bill provides for, but the
boards of supervisors, with a repre-
sentative from each town and village
and each city ward.
Mr. Summerville's plan is to substi-
tute boards of five commissioners,
serving for four years. Counties would
be divided into districts, not more than
two districts being within any one
city. The districts would, as nearly as
possible, be equal in population and
the commissioners would be author
iZed to redistrict the county after each
census.
TO make the change a petition signed
ny the ten per cent of the voters must
he filed at least 40 days before the April
election. If favorable in the following
April the first commissioners will be
chosen. those in districts two and four
for twO-year terms, and those in dis
Il q e..
Thereafter there will be an election
every two years.
Commissioners may be removed by
the governor on the same grounds as
other county officers Absence from
the county for six months is declared
grounds for declaring the office vacant,
and the chairman of the town board
of each town and mayor of each city
and village in the district are author
iZcd to fill vacancies. If the district
is wholly within the limits of an in
corpOrated village or city. the county
may select the commissioner.
Pay is fixed at $3.50 year in cOtln-
ties whose assessed valuation is be-
tween $15.OO0.0O0 to $30,000,00O
In addition each commissioner may
when the board is not in session, but
the total paid for committee service
shall not exceed his regular salary He
also is entitled to six cents mile for
every mile necessarily travelled.
The proposed law vii not apply
~ Sc, 11o
600.
Clerks to Write Tax Roll
In letter from Madison Feb. to
O. 4. Sergent, Mr. Summerville, speak
ing of these bills. states that included
IN the proposed law is a prOviso that
the county clerk write the tax roll in
stead of the town clerk, thereby cut
ting fees of town clerks in half and
avoiding many mistakes.
Assemblyman Summerville says he
is in favor of abolishing fifty per cent
or more of the county officers, believ-
ing it would benefit the people. He
SAYS: "As member of the town board
and the county board. | believe your
statement that the board is run by
few members is, in most instances, an
exact statement OF the facts
Governor Blaine in his message criti-
cized the national government for re-
turning aid programs against the vari-
ious states incurring a tax obligation.
Mr.. Summerville writes that "a great
number of the members Of the legiSla-
ture feel that he should have gone far
ther and criticized the state for doing
the same thing with the counties
J. J. Lamb. of Fond du Lac, has III
troduced bill to make the employ
ment of county nurses optional with
the county.
Il will support the same says
Summerville The dog law is in for
an interesting session." he also re-
ports.
Mr. Summerville says he is with us
in all efforts to reduce taxes and at
the same time giveethe people an hon
est and liberal government.