The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-11-12
TAKES TIME TO
CONSIDER OFFER
Hot Debate at County
Board Meeting Today
On Sheriff's CONTRACT.
POSTPONE ANY ACTION
Board Defers Action on Report
of Sheriff's Committee
Suggesting $4,000 a Year.

An old, old question bodied up TO
enliven the opening meeting Of the
fall session of the county board of
supervisors this morning when the
board was asked to act on the report
of the sheriff's committee regarding a
contract TO be made with Sheriff
Frank "Baldy" Willems for the re-
mainder Of his term of Office, TIE
committee submitted a contract which
called for the county to agree to pay
the sheriff $6,694,24 for the mainte-
nance of prisoners from September I,
1926, to January I, 1927, this being at
the rate of $1,000 a year.
This is to include the paying for
the services of the matron at $1,000
and would also stipulate that the
sheriff was to pay all of the salary of
the undersherif with the exception Of
5000 allowance made for that pur-
pose by the board. Under the previ-
| Gus contract the sheriff was allowed
| $4,000 year for this purpose and the
additional $1,000 is to m Get the eX-
pense of the matron, whose employ
ment was authorized by the board al
a former meeting.
Discussion of the contract brought
out that the sheriff also receives $500
a year salary, $125 a month house
rent and upkeep and other expenses,
and allowance for the upkeep Of his
omobiles, although he is required
to furnish these and whatever fees
may accrue from serving of papers in
civil actions.
Van Bendegon Opposes Contract.
The presentation of the contract by
the committee brought storm Of OPP
position from several members of this
county board. Supervisor Jake Van
Bendegon led in the opposition, which
finally resulted in the delaying of ac-
tion on the report. He outlined the
various sources of revenue which the
sheriff has as stated above.
"Why not give him the courthouse
/ and be done with it," exclaimed Super
i visor Van Bendegon. "This will total
/ nearly $1,000 year for this one of
4 fce. I hire eight people in my store
and it doesn't cost $1,000 year eth
err. The county sheriff.s Office and the
Jail compose a big institution, but
this. seems to me to be an awful lot
of money to be going out in one place.
have no idea what the fees amount
to and before / vote on this I'd IKE to
know"
| Roders Defends Contract. :
Supervisor Roders, who is a men,
Der Of the sheriff's committee, defend
ed the contract. He stated that though
the figures looked high, they were
much the same as other sheriffs had
had. He recalled that other sherifs
lived in the old Jail and rented their
houses and also had their light, heat
and gas provided. He also called at
tention to the additional expenses to
which the sheriff has been put by the
change to the new jail and which he
| must meet in keeping prisoners.
Supervisor Grosvenor explained that
when they planned the new jail, it
| had been hoped that the county could
hire the matron and take care Of the
prisoners themselves, but that ruiz
ing of the attorney general Of the
state had prevented this.
The upshot of the discussion was
that the board voted to delay definite
! action until it made an investigation
to determine what the fees in civil
! actions amounted to, with an idea that
this should also be taken into consid-
Grafton. A report on this was
scheduled to be made late this after
noon when ayes and noes on the con-
tract would be taken.
Act on Land Patents.
County Clerk Iva Russell read to the
board a communication from the secre-
! tary of state reporting that there were
twelve land patents for tracts in
Kenosha county which had never been
delivered to this county. A resolu-
| ton directing the register of deeds
to take whatever action was necessary
to have these twelve patents properly
recorded, was passed.
The board has received several in-
quiries regarding whether or not the
Memorial Hall could be used for card
parties and dinners staged in connec-
tion with the activities of the G. A.
r. or of affiliated societies. 1t voted
unanimously against these projects
suggesting that hall elsewhere could
be found and that Memorial Hall should
be used entirely as hall for meet
ings of the order who have been
granted this permission.