Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-03-06
WHICH SHALL IT BE

At the spring election to be held April 1st, Vi
las County voters will be called upon to decide whether
they wish to exchange the county board OF supervisors
plan Of county government for commission form.
The method Of electNg chairman in each town who
of the county board OF supervisors IS one OF
the Oldest features of the political system of the United
States 1t is in force practically everywhere and for fair
all taxpayers stood the test OF time very Wen
and as in many other instances proves that the who
drafted our original laws did with breadth of vision
that foecasted the necessities OF the future centuries
quite WE'LL if not better taan most OF the present Gay
statesmen and lawmakers
If Villas county should vote to adopt the commission
FORM the county would be divided into three districts
c who you'd handle the business affairs OF the coun
ty instead Of the town charen whose duties would then
be confined wholly to town affairs.
The advocates of the plan claim that it would be less
expensive to the taxpayers of the county, but three
would receive pay for their services whereas now
thirteen are paid on the per diem and mileage basis 1t
also urged that would have tendency to place the
management of county affairs and expenditures IN the
hands of men with more experience ndealng with large
business problems, and that being smaller and more
compact body that it could function with less waste OF
time and money in most matters of public Importance
Members of the commission would per
diem and mileage basis and the maximum salary receiv-
ed by each member could not exceed $4,000 annually
with mileage both ways from Their home at cents per
mile provision OF the law also provides that they would
entitled to the amount fer doing committee work
it should be necessary to devote enough time to that
branch of work to ente them to the maximum In other
words under the commission form, the members might
receive total salary $4,000 each annually with mile
age for each meeting attended.
If adopted by the voters the commission would be-
gin its work in July 1925 and hold office for two years
1t would not be possible to vote proposition to abo
sh the commission board until 1927.
Burnett county is the only county in Wisconsin oper-
ating under the commission form, although under
stand that it is in in certain portions of Iowa. We
have not heard of any local resident who is familiar with
the actual obtained either by Burnett county
ether places where is in force and in order to get
authentic information the subject last wrote
to each of the twenty three town and village clerks all
county officers and to each newspaper in Burnett county
for their opinion to how the people there like the
form of government All replies that received will
be published in the Review before election time that
Villas county voters may form opinion to the bene
fits or disadvantages Of the commission plan.
Regardless of whether Burnett county Does or does
not like that form OF government the Review is strictly
opposed to its adoption by Villas county, mainly for the
that while each and every town in the
y directly represented in the conduct of county affairs
through their chairman elected by the voters and taxpay-
of each town. under the commission FORM only three
of the thirteen towns would really have any voice in the
matter of making appropriations evying of apportion-
ments and many other things of interest a large
Der of taxpayers who contribute largely to the
of the county by reason of their property holdings.
The claim that commission government would be
able to transact business economically than under
the supervisor SYSTEM uncertain The County board of
supervisors of Villas county held five meetings in 1923
at approximate of $156000 according the
ty clerks records, and remember the number of
meetings that have been held during the past three years.
expense them has varied greatly
1928 1t is doubtful if Villas county will ever under any
form of government that it may choose be able to
duce those figures much and personally do con-
slider that excessive to pay for managing BUSH
ness as large Villas county annually transacts.
Whatever the decision may be on election day. it
should be the result of majority vote. If the PROPOSE
ton carries by default from lack of interest manifested
by the voters they will later have for condemn
ing It, 60 to the polls and vote according to your convc-
ons whatever they may be and then both the advocates
and opponents of a commission will be satisfied