Council Notes 1907 October

Waupaca Post

October 3, 19907

FOUR STREET LIGHTS ORDERED

But it is Doubtful if They Will Be Put In

The street lighting question was the important thing before the council at its meeting on Tuesday evening. Ald. Ghoca, chairman of the street lighting committee, offered a resolution calling for four lights, one at the Felting Mills, one at Oman and Holbeck streets, one on Main Street near Randall, and one on West Fulton Street, near W.H. Laabs’ residence. The resolution was signed by the three members of the committee, Ald. Ghoca,Gordon and Felker. It created considerable discussion, but was finally passed, after a provision had been inserted that they were to be put in free of expense to the city for installation, by a vote of five to three. Ald. Nelson, Johnson and Hom voting against the resolution, and Ald. Ghoca, Gordon, Olfson, Paronto and Felker for it. Ald. Nelson offered an amendment cutting out the Main Street and Fulton street lights, but the amendment was lost, three to five, on the same division.

During the discussion, Ald. Ghoca offered to cut out all lights except the one at the Felting Mills, but the other aldermen, or a majority of them, would not agree to it.

General Manager Lord, of the Electric Light Company stated yesterday that the company would not install the lights under the terms of the resolution that it would stay by its contract, which provides that all extensions beyond forty rods shall be paid for by the city, and that the Felting Mills lights, as figured last winter, will take the city $255 for installation.

This morning, Mayor Johnson announced that he would file a veto of the resolution, on the ground that the charter requires a two-thirds vote to pass an appropriation which exceeds $500. The resolution was passed by a vote of five to three, and it carries an appropriation of about $1600. Action upon the veto will come up on Friday evening.

Other business transacted by the council was as follows:

The Board of Public Works reported that it had received an opinion from City Attorney Hart that the city cannot compel property owners to build a sidewalk until the city has improved the street and the proper grading done for the sidewalk.

This stops the city from fixing up the sidewalk and steps leading up to the old jail property on Granite Street, a petition for which was received by the council some weeks ago.

An ordinance was passed, fixing the width of the sidewalk on the east side of Division Street at five feet.

Police Justice Heaney reported that he had received $38.50 in fines during the past three months.

City Treasurer Dutton reported a balance on hand, Oct. 1, of $5957.24.

By resolution, $2500 was transferred from the pauper fund to the general fund, and $500 from the pauper fund to the street fund.

A recess was taken until Friday evening, when the annual budget for the coming year will be reported by the finance committee.

The lighting question may also come up again.

Waupaca Post

October 17, 1907

THE RULING STANDS

Mayor Johnson Refuses to Change is Ruling on the Street Lighting Question

At Tuesday evening’s session of the city council, an effort was made to get Mayor Johnson to change his ruling that it requires a two-thirds vote of the council to make an appropriation exceeding $500, but it did not avail, even though an opinion from the city attorney was read fully covering the matter.

The question came up when the minutes of the previous meeting, when the ruling was made, were read. Ald. Felker tried to correct the minutes by having the mayor change his ruling upon the resolution which called for three more street lights, and upon which the vote was 5 to 3 and which Mayor Johnson declared lost, and had Clerk Woodnorth read an opinion from City Attorney Hart to the effect that the vote of a majority of the council was all that was necessary to order additional street lights. Mayor Johnson stated he would change his ruling if the council insisted, but in case he did so, he would attack the legality of the resolution upon the grounds that Ald. Olfson, a stockholder in the W.B.L. & Ry. Co., voted for it, and it would be beaten anyway. Ald. Hom said he would like to have it settled whether Ald. Olfson had any right to vote on the question or not. After some discussion by Ald. Nelson and Ald. Felker, Mayor Johnson declared the minutes approved.

Other business transacted at the meeting was as follows:

A petition for an iron railing on the west side of Washington Street, from Granite to Pleasant, was referred to the board of public works.

A number of bills were passed.

Adjourned.

When Mayor Johnson was seen about the ruling in question, on Wednesday, he stated that he had not had time to look up the matter in the charter, and was not certain whether it required a two-thirds vote to pass an appropriation over $500 or not; that it had been the custom, heretofore, to require such action; that he offered to change his ruling if the council insisted, with a distinct understanding that he would veto the resolution upon the question of Ald. Olfson’s right to vote, anyway, and that the council did not insist, probably because the result would have been to knock out the resolution anyway. Asked if he was not establishing a bad precedent by making rulings without being familiar with the charter requirements, he said that he thought not, that he would meet the questions as they came up; that he had been out of town and very busy and had not looked it up; that inasmuch as the resolution would be killed anyway, he didn’t see what difference it made.

And the Felting Mill does not get a street light.