The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-12-02
ASK MOVE TO
SET SANITARY
BOARDS PAY
State Accountants Urge
City to Take Action in
Shank Regime Report.
RAP FUNDS TRANSFER
Inventory of Municipal
Property, Better Account
ing Needed.

Action to definitely determine
whether Indianapolis sanitary COM
miSsioners be allowed $500 or 5000
q year salary is recommended in q
report of State accountants upon
1925, the last year of the Shank city
administration, made public today.
Two members of the sanitary
commission still are drawing $500
year, the city civil engineer being
a member ex-of1cio.
The accountants, Tracy w. Whit
aker and James D. Smith, call atten-
ton to the sanitary district law
which reads:
1.-THE members Of such board Of
Sanitary commissioners, not includ-
ing the city civil engineer, shall
each be paid a salary at the rate
of $500 per annum during the
period of actual construction and
$500 per annum thereafter"
Emphasis on Salaries
The accountants have under
scored the salary amounts in their
report.
The commissioners frequently
have been criticised because many
persons interpret the law to mean
that when construction of the sew
age disposal plant is completed the
salaries shall drop to 5000 q year.
The plant has been in operation for
more than year.
The accountants comment upon
this in the report thus:
''The period of actual construction
should be determined definitely by
agreement of the members of the
board and if they cannot agree, an
action should be instituted in the
court that this matter be left in
doubt no longer"
Suggest City Inventory
Commenting generally upon city
finances the report says:
"We have prepared budget forms
applicable to the civil city of Indi-
annapolis. 1t was necessary that we
distribute the expenditures of the
previous year throughout the en-
tire budget classif1cations, that the
several employees might become IA
miliar with the subdivisions there
Of, for the preparation of the bud
get for the ensuing year.
"In compiling the budget it is i'm
possible accurately to foresee all Of
the expenditures that may become
necessary year later. This is dem
onstrated, more especially, by judg-
ments and court allowances and as
sessments against the city of Indi-
annapolis.
1--WE would suggest that an ins
ventory be made of all Of the prop
erty, both real and personal, Of the
city and competent appraisers
should be employed to arrive at true
values on the same.
when the inventory has been
completed it should become per-
petual, ali increases or decreases
should be carefully recorded. It
would appear that the proper
agency to have supervision Of the
inventory records should be the
purchasing department for the
reason that it is in possession of the
made by all Of the departments as
well aS the disposition of the prop
critics by sale or otherwise.
Rap Fund Transfers
at Is very apparent that there
is great need for new and addi-
tional accounting records and forms.
Under the present methods the la
bility or indebtedness Of the city is
known only at the time for the pay
ment as shown by the controllers
records; the new system would set
up the liability at the date of con-
tract which would be the basis up
on which the true financial worth Of
the city could be determined"
The accountants rap the persist
emit defeat Of the budget idea by
fund transfers during the year.
They say:
Section 985 Of the 1917 municipal
code, civil city Of indianapolis.
makes provision for the transferring.
temporarily. Of employees from one
position to another or from one de-
partment to another where the ems
ployeS' salaries remain the same.
The probable intent Of the above
section as to enable the transfer Of
employees temporarily as an emerg-
ency should arise,b ut the continued
use Of said employees in the posi-
lions other than originally set out
IN the budget estimates, might be
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