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At a regular meeting of the City Council, held May'13th, 1941, at 7:00 P.M.,
<br />there were present:
<br />
<br />John P. Leigh, Leslie T. F6~, George L. Grimes, Russell N. Hall,
<br />Jas. N. Howard, W. R. Hutchins, Frank Do La~wrence, C. E. Warren,
<br />Pearle J. Wilson and Chas. F. Harper~ City Eanager.
<br />
<br /> Minutes ofregular meeting held April 22nd and special meeting of May 2nd were
<br />read and approved.
<br />
<br />The following communications from the City M~nager were read:
<br />
<br /> 1st - "As you know, Judge Bain has resigned ~nd under the State law, the
<br />State will pay him a pension of three-fourths of the amount of his salary.
<br /> In order for the City to do the same thing, it requires a resolution
<br />of the Council to that effect, which I recommends The resignation takes effect June~lst and
<br />for the remaining seven months of this year, an approprla~ion of $8Y9.37 will be required."
<br />
<br /> N~ion of Mr. Grimes to concur in the ~anager's recommendation and to aopro
<br />priate $879.3? for same, was adopted, and by the following vote: ~
<br />
<br />Ayes - Leigh, Fox, Grimes, Hall,
<br /> Warren, Wilson
<br />Nays - None.
<br />
<br />Howard, Hutchins, Lawrence,
<br />
<br /> 2nd - "The old hook and ladder truck at the Chambers Fire Station, which has
<br />been in use since 191~, is both worn out and obsolete. It is necessary to secure bids for a
<br />new truck.
<br /> If there is no objection, I will ask for bids and after they are re
<br />eelved, will submit them to the Council for approval and ~opropriation."
<br />
<br /> Notion of Mr. Howard to authorize the Manager to secure bids on a new fire
<br />t~¢k, was adopted.
<br />
<br /> ' 3rd - "At the last meeting of the City CounCil, I Was authorized to notify
<br />the Anti-Pollution Commission that if Portsmouth was forced to build thse o~ ants, the City
<br />would build its own plants and no~ go into the gigantic combine that has been proposed.
<br /> By fighting off this combine, we have saved the people of the Oity of
<br />Portsmouth. at least $150,000. a year for nearly three years, in sewer ~ax.
<br /> I do not believe the last Act of the Legislature bearing on this sub-
<br />Ject will hold in the courts, for the reason that some of the worst polluted sections were
<br />arbitrarily lefZ out when the lines were drawn for the last election, because those sections
<br />had voted about eight to one against zhe Bill in the first election. I suggest that the
<br />City Attorney be instructed to take the necessary steps to tesZ this Act in the courts.
<br /> Norfolk County will join with us in this fight."
<br />
<br /> Motion of Mr. Hutchins to refer to the 0ity Manager and City Attornex for in-
<br />vestigation and report, was adopted.
<br />
<br /> 4th ~ "On account of most of the W.P.A. labor being taken away f~om us b~
<br />the Federal Government, to be put on National Defense work~ we will probably have to appropri~
<br />ate additional funds for ~ree,$~repairs and improvements.
<br /> I am going to make a survey of the needs of the different wards along
<br />that line, with an estimate of the total cost, which I shall submit to you later."
<br />
<br /> Notion of Mr. Hall to refer to the Manager and Oity Engineer f0~ investigation
<br />and report, was adopted.
<br />
<br /> 5th - "There has been so much ss~id, pro and con, on the street and in the
<br />press, relative to the Manager's position as to baseball, water pipe and the arbitration fee
<br />of $1,000., ~hat I feel it is the City ~anager~s duty to the Council and. the people of Ports-
<br />mouth, to state his position clearly on all three of these projects:
<br /> First - Baseball. I feel that professional baseball is an asset to our 0ity and should
<br />be retained. Beside, we are dependent on the income from the rent of t~e stadium for baseball
<br />and football, to pay the three per cent interest on,he $90,000. bonds that the City issued to
<br />help build the stadit%m. The Manager has no financial interest in the baseball team.
<br /> Second - Water Pipe. I have no financial _interest in either concrete or iron pipe. I
<br />have regarded this c2Aestion all along, as an engineering problem, and my recommendation as to
<br />%his pipe was based:
<br /> 1st On the opinion of three of the ablest engineers in Virginia, one of
<br /> whom said he preferred concrete pipe, another said that either pipe
<br /> would last one hundred years, and the other one said that for large
<br /> pipe h~ preferred the concrete pipe, even if it cost more.
<br /> 2nd The re-&nforced concrete pipe saves about $?O,000., and
<br /> 3rd - Norfolk and a great many other cities, where pipe as large as this
<br /> is required, are b~ying concrete pipe instead of the cast iron pipe.
<br /> Third - Arbitration fee of $1,000. 1st I did not seek this Job.
<br /> 2nd - W~en notified by the Mayor, of my appointment as arbitrator, I gave
<br /> notice then and there that if i accepted the appointment and did the
<br /> work, i would have to be paid.
<br /> 3rd - Nobody can or should claim that Norfolk County has any reason to ex-
<br /> pect my services without paying me its one-half, and the reason the
<br /> bill includes the Oi~y i s that the management of the ferries does
<br />
<br />
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