Minutes 01/10/1911 - Laserfiche WebLink

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335 January 10, 1911~ which are disapproved for reasons given on sheet attached.~ 'Dec, 28, 1910.~ Davis Heed, Nayor.~ "28th., December, 1910. ~The Oouncil: -- ~t return herewith my almprov~l all of the matters adopted December 13-20, l?lO, and referred to me on December 25d, except the items,'~to allow the City Clerk an assistant at a pay of $5©. per month; ~to allow $12.50 monthly beginning Januar~ l, 1911, for the Oity Colored Tubercu- losis V. eague; ~ "to make the salary of Jos. F, ~eaver~ assistant to the City Engineer, $100~ per mo, beginning January l, l~ll; ~ "to make the salary of firemen at the Sewer Power~House $55. per month beginning January 1, l~ll;" which I disapprove for reasons given below. ~-I do not consider this the proper time to create additional offices or to increase salaries unless such office is ~bsolutely necessary or the salary or compensation is below that paid by other cities and corporations for similar service. ~'Other employers can abolish offices or reduce salaries, but how often do you see a city doing either? "The City officials ~nd employees should be treated liberally as-regards compensation, and I believe they are treated liberally in this regard, but the City should live within its income. "From what I can gather from reports made to me by ~he Auditor the City will h~ve expended du- ring the year iglO near ~25,000. more th~n its income. 'It will owe at the end of this year ~0,O00. or, in round numbers, $1~,000. more than at the end of the year "The items which I have disapproved and the other increases in salaries which have been adop- ted by one branch of the Council, will increase the Oity's expenses over $4,000. per year, and in addition the City will have to pay interest on the recent issue of $E50,000. of bonds and set aside ~ O the siim requi~ed for the sizLking fund, or say ~o, 00. more for .interest than last year. "The sum of $~20,000. appropriated for a clerk's office was not used this year, but all of this and more will have to be used next year; so that it looks as if the Oity would have to spend ~25,O00. or more next year than it did ~this. ~The assessed values have net increased over ~300,000, and if the ta~ on all of this is collec- ted the ,revenue w~uld not be increased over $5,250.00. ~The CiSy Clerk has been relieved of the duties of clerk to the Board of Health and the Auditor has been required to perform part of the work formerly performed by the Clerk, and I see no reason why the City at this time should be put to the exepnse of $600. a year for an assistant, thus maiing the total cost of this work ~2,220. per year. I, ,~gret ~to have to d~s~pprove o~ the appropriation of ~12.50 per month to the 0ity Colored Tuberculgs~s League, ~as the Ci~ should help in the work of preventing the spread of tuberculosis, but as such sm appropriati~on is in violation of section 185 of the Constitution of the State, I have to disapprove of it, though if the appropriation is made to the Board of Health, to be used for the sa~e purpose, it will give me pleasure to approve it. ~I believe $100. per ,month to be more than is usually paid for the work performed by the assis- tant to the Oity Engi~ieer, and for this reason and the reason given above, I disapprove of this ap- propri ati on. 'The firemen at the Sewer~ Power House are now receiving, in my opinion, more than the current wage fo~ such work, and for that reason I disapprove of the increase in their salaries to $55. per month?, ~Respectfully, J, Davis Reed, Mayor." The veto having been read and the reasons therefor, the Chair put the question, ~Shall the ~ d s~an as recorded tion of this body December i3th^in regard to allowing the Clerk an assistant, making an appropria- tion for the Coio~ed Tuberculosis League, making the Day of Jos. F. ~eaver $100. per month, and the fir. emen-at the ~ewer Power House, $55- per month, notwithstanding the veto of the ~ayor to the con- trary? ~ d ~nereupon, said .former action of the body was a~hered to and ~by the i~ollowing vote, the vote being the same for e~ch proposition: ~yss~-Hall, Jno, Howard. Parrish~ Hanvey. Brooks, ~oore, Corbitt, Baker, Johnson, Rrinson, Cross. ~ithy, Tyler, Hutchins, 15, Nays- -None, Third. Reports of Officers and other unfinished business, The regular reports of Officers for December were presented and were ordered to take the usual course. The following from the 'City Attorney-was read: ~Portsmouth~ Va. Jan. lC, l~ll. "To the Hon. City Council. ' *Gentlemen: -- %~eplYing to the questions addressed to me by you, through the Oity Clerk, I beg to state as follows': First. ~A clmim of the Hiohmond ~ene~o~a± Company for $50.75 paid as a lisense ts~ for l~lO, ~he s~id Company holing th~ it is exempt from such ~." A~wer, I ~ not s~oi~n~ly ~dvised ~s to the facts, If ~e Oomp~y h~s legally qualified ~o do ~ certain ~lmss of business, then it is exempt from ~eip~l t~es ~d ~ho~d re~over b~ok $57.50, $12.50 being for the first quarter which ~s prior to the p~ssage of ~he ~ption Second, ~To dete~ine ~no shoed pay ~e e~penses for registration, eieetions, and roon rent for such purposes in the Sixth ~d Seventh ~ds. ~ ~s~er. ~he City. The law_o~o~des th~ the f~ds o~ thoSe~ ~rds sn~l~ _be wholly expended Oh',street, sewer, li~t, ~ter, or other improvement in s~id ~rds. Third. ~O~ the &ssist~n~ 0~ef Engineers of the ~ire SeD~r~ent refuse to serve on She ~ire ..... A~erI Not ~ ~out v~eatmng ~heir o~fices. Sec. 66 of the charter, dots 1~08, ~ge 211, ~rovm~es: %'ne Sire dep~rtment of the Oit~ of o~.~ o ~ ~ . . ~ ...... ~ ........ be ~der the ~e~l control oF ~ Card consisting of the Chief En neet and ~ ~ *~ ~ ~ _ gI the ~ ~..~ ~s~ ~ ~