Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-02-28

PETERSBURG, Va, Feb. as
This city has before it for 1928
program of improvements which
include a bridge across the Apo
mattox river, the erection of a jun
ior high school and two grade
schools. the paving OF two of the
principal streets and such other
public work. This will cost a little
more than million dollars, of
which the city will pay about seven
or eight hundred thousand and in
terested railway companies the bal
ance.
No one can find in Petersburg the
slightest expression of doubt that
the money will be economically ex-
pended. No one can find anyone
who will say that he believes there
will be favoritisn in the letting of
contracts or the purchase of sup
plies. Everybody takes it for
granted, now, that the affairs of the
city will be conducted upon sound
business lines.
The first thing the city manager
did when he took office was to en-
ploy an accounting firm to set up a
modern system of accounting for the
City's use-something that was very
much needed. Then a central pur-
ClldSiHS OlllCS Was SSIdDllshSu,
through which all city purchases
must be made.
Under the old system any city em-
ploye purchased where he would at
what price he did not care, and the
price was made large enough to
reimburse the merchant for the two
or three months he would be out of
the use of his money, for the city
never paid promptly and could not
do SO under its complicated system
of requiring each bill. to be sep
arately approved by two branches OF
the council.
Under the new system, purchases
are made in advance in quantity
lots, and always after competition.
Bills are paid promptly to take ad-
vantage of cash discounts. There
| is a complete check on every pur-
| chase, and the moment there is a
| charge over the market price the
city manager himself must have an
| explanation.
! The next thing done was to place
| the city strictly on a budget basis.
! The annual budget is prepared by
\ the city manager and submitted to
| the council about six weeks before
the end of the fiscal year. After
the council has made it's decisions
I
meeting is called at the high school
Eauditorlum. There the president OF
| the council tells the people what the
council has done, and the city man
ager explains in detail the budget
| for the coming year. After this
town meeting the budget is for
mally adopted.
Thus the program for the city is
laid out before the people a. year in
advance. and the municipal activi-
ties follow the budget faithfully
She permanent improvement pro-
gram was discussed publicly for
many weeks. and then. after beins
formally approved by the chamber
of commerce and practically every
other Organization in the city was
adopted. NO voice was raised ir
opposition, except with respect tt
rpinor details.
AS was said in the beginning, th'
only reason for selecting Peters
burg al an example of the city man
ager form of government is that the
city manager here, Louis Brownlow
is now the president of the City
Managers Association. The asso-
citation has its headquarters at Law
renee, Kans.. where it publishes &
monthly magazine, edited by the as
sociation secretary, John q. Stutz
The association counts as member
most of the 500 city and town man
layers in the United States, and ha'
| some city manager members in Can
ada and New Zealand,
The number of cities adoptin
the city manager plan last year wa
Sreater than every before, the tota
increasing about 80 per cent during
, 1923, said Mr.. Brownlow. Les
than a dozen cities that have cit
managers have gone back to the OLE
form of government, and, so far a.
know, only twice has this rever
sion taken place IN a city wher
the plan was formally adopted b
the vote of the people,
"Viriginia, where the plan orig
mated, leads the country in proper
, ton of cities adopting the new sys
tenn, only three Virginia cities noV
having another form of government
Michigan actually leads tn,
Icountry, with thirty-four city man
ager cities and towns. California
Texas and Virginia are next. will
twenty-three each. Florida ha
seventeen and Ohio sixteen-so yol
can see it is growing without re
gard to geographical sections.
'"The largest city now under th
eatE &aRsEsE fasm Sf geSs sEamsns I