Minutes 09/28/1926 - Laserfiche WebLink

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September 28, 1926 This should give us a surplus of $75,000-00 for 1927. I most es~rnestly recommend that this be applie.d partly to continuing our program of permanent improvements. ?nd partly to reducing' ot~r floating debt which, due tO ca=ses beyond the control of the administration, now amounts. te a large fig~lre. The-City shomld be regarded in a personal way by every citizen. To her he owes all the eomf0rts of modern life, which surround him, and the ta~xes he pays ~re not a tribute but a compensation for service rendered. In addition to the material advantages enumerated above, I can not but feel that there has aisc bee~raugain in a less tangible way, ~ gain of a character less easy to measure or to express in the usual terms. I ~efer to public spirit and to that spirit of co-operation withemt which no~comm~Anity can realize on its opport~itieS. Through the fairness of the'Council and the efforts of our Varioms businesa and social organizations, our citizens have come to realize that this City is their ~ity, that its ~usiness is their business, that they are stockholders in the largest and most important corporation of the cormnunity anti'that the employees of this corporation have been, must be employed and retained on the basis of efficiency and not for reasons of political expediency. It is my hope fe~ the i~ature that in selecting ~ud ~etaini~g employees, the only basis of selection or retention will be character, efficlene~ ~ud ~bility to perform proPerly the tasks imposed. The ms~agement of the City is a business proposition and not a po%itic~i problem~u Certain clearly defined duties are imposed upon the ~legislative body, the principal ex~cmtive officer of the City, and upon the jmdiciaI branches of the gover~ment and I am satis- fied that it is fa~ better polities to pro~u~e and support efficien~ ms~n~gement rather tha~ to inj. ect politics in any form ~nto the selection and retention of employees. Looking forward into the years to come, in orde~ that we may find our Rlaee among our sister cities, in order that we may realize on the mighty potential assets wX~h which a~ beneficent Providence h~s endowed us, it is only neces~sary to continue to foster and develop that spirit which has been germinated e~ud which h~s commenced to show itself in the last few years. The little leaven will leaven the whole lump, and with ~he proper ~pirit, adequ~te£y fostered and nourished, the hand of man in the next dec~ie may transform the m~ieipaltties bordering on the H~mpton Roads into the greatest port on the Atlantic Seaboard south Qf New York. In conclusion, I say with some emotion, that this is an occasion of ~Neve~ Again.' With five members of the present 0ouncil, I have endeavored to g~ide the municipal ship some- times over rather tempe~tmous seas and through, r~rrow channels beset with hidden d~ng~rs. If errors of n~vigation have been made they were ~rrors of ~adgmen~ and not deliberately committed. Hay the experience of those errors be a gmide to my friends of the Ch~ncil, old s~ud new, and to my s~ceessor in avoiding similar troubles in the ~uture, and m~y the Governor of the Universe vouchsafe youvision to see, wisdom and qmickness to grasp, and energ~nd courage to solve and perform those problems which in the il~tur~ as in the past will necessarily srowd upon you and press for solution." of the amzt to On motion of Er. White, the Clerk was ~ustrueted to put the add, ess on ~he records 0ouneli, and ih~rnish a copy of same to e~ch member of Council, the City M~nager elect, the press. The 0ity Manager recommended that the City Manager elect be authorized to sign pay rolls, vouchers, lc., in his name. Mr. ~ite moved that the City Collector be made acting City Mara~ger, ~uad that h? be authortsed to Perform the duties of the 0ity N~nager from.October 1st to October 15th, Snclmsive. The motion was adopted, and by the~followingvote: Ayes-- Brooks, Dm~ford, NeW. pin, Mayo, Oast, Ste~4rt, ~Vhite, y. The followi~ commu~icatior~s were read from the Oity Manager: 1st. "I have gone into the question of water fur~ished the Norfolk 0o~ty ~ail. ~nile the , for thim h~s never been signed with the Oounty, it is e!es~r $o me that the ~ipal B~ild- lng was signed with a verbal agreement with the Co~utyamthoriti~s that ~ter would be supplied free of cost to the jail ~from ~Narch 26th, 1923. The bill for th~s w~ter amounts to and it will continue a liability for the City of Portsmouth unless the City is released by the Comnty from the obligation of t~e contract for the M~nicipal building. I therefore recommend that prevision be made for the paymen~ of the water bill by the 0ity unti~ ~ach tmme as the contract with the Oounty has been abrogated. Provision efapproxi~ately $80.00 per month will be required. I would suggest that if the 0o~u~¢il approve the proposition, a formal letter be addressed to the Boarder Supervisors of the County, sta~ing that conditions at present, are such as to render it inadvisable either to sell the real estate at-th~ r~rthwest corner of High & Sts. owned by the City or for the Oity at present to embark on the proposed construction. . My Bersonal view is that it would be better for the City, for the present at lea~t, not to a~ndon t~M~p~oject and to pay the water bills as W~S anticipated, as I feel that the a~.vantage ox h~vlmg the Comnty offices and cou~ts in the City of Portsmouth are too great to be abandoned lightly." On motion of Er. ~nite, the eommmnication was referred to the Finance_Co~mmittee~ 2nd. "As far as I c~u ~scertain, the income of a number of cities in Virginia has been s~bsta~tially increased by paralleling~the State law relative to' the manufacture, use, sale, etc. of ardent spirits. I do not see why the ss~e rule will not apply in Portsmouth.