Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 104, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 September 1899 — The County Council. [ARTICLE]

The County Council.

The County Council, after four days hard work, passed their various appropriations bills on the second and final reading, Friday morning, and adjourned. The estimates previously made by the county officers were largely tentative in character, and in lump sums, it being intentionally and properly left for the council, as the law contemplates, to figure out how much should be appropriated for each special purpose. Many reductions were made from these first estimates but most of them small in amount, but that in the item of new bridges was from $14,000 to $4,000, or more than half of the whole. In this new bridge item it should be explained that the commissioners simply noted down all the bridges that had been petitioned for, with estimates of their probable cost, amounting in all to sl4,OOO2and purposely left to the council to decide what proportion of these should be built the ensuing year. The second largest reducationjwas in the gravel road repair fund estimate, which was reduced from $4,500 to $1,900. In the opinion of many conservative citizens, including also several members of the council, this'last appropriation is much too small to keep the gravel roads in good repair. It will be a very easy matter to lose a lot of money in trying to save a little, when it comes to letting the gravel roads go down.

There was a cut of nearly S6OO in the estimate of election expenses, it being based on the rule of hereafter only paying members of election boards for two days instead of three, which last has been the custom, here as well as most other counties. All the county and circuit court officers estimates were cut to a greater or less especially their estimates for office expense and deputy hire. The following are the different items in the general appropriation ordinance as passed. For Court Clerk, annual salary, $1,500; office expenses $284. County Auditor, salary $2,000; office expense $460. County Treasurer, salary $1,200; office expenses $lB2. County Recorder, salary $1,100; office expenses $436. County Sheriff, salary $1,400; office expenses $953. County Surveyor for fees $2,000; office expenses $250. County Superintendent, salary $1,200; office expenses $250. County Assessor, per diem $450; office expenses $27.50. Township Assessors, per diem, $1,480, deputy assessors $370; expenses of assessment $664. Circuit Court expenses. Jurymen per diem $1,600; bailiffs S4OO witness fees $100; special judges $l5O, improvements in court room £125, fees to county officers $500; board of jurymen SSO; official reporter $200; law books $100; law reports $10; telephone S2O; jury commissioners S3O; making court docket S2O; postage for clerk $10; do for sheriff $10; printing S4O; gand jury $150; attorney for poor $100; miscellaneous expenses S6O; change of venue $600; stationery and other supplies $108.40. Expense of court house, repairs, and ca re Jo f grounds $300; supplies $800; janitors and other employes $750. Expense of Poor Farm, new building S2O; repairs and care of grounds $700; salary of superintendent and employes $1,050; supplies other than maintenance $125; maintenance *1,523; blackDiullUlug

For new bridges $4,000. For bridge repairs SSO. Commissioners’ Court; salaries of commissioners, $615; other expenses SIOO. County Attorney’s salary $250. Salary Secretary Board of Health $208.37; office expenses $62.25. Gravel road repairs $1,900. Election expenses $1,240. Interest op bonds $6,882.50. For payment of judgments against the county SSOO. Expense of inmates of benevolent and penal institutions. Insane asylum $325; deaf and dumb institute $45; for blind institute SSO; school for feeble minded SSO; boy’s reform school $100; women’s prison and girl’s reform school SIOO. For public advertising S6OO. For county truant office $2lO. For per diem Board of Review $250 banliff for for same S2O, witnesses S2O other expenses S2O. Coroner’s per diem S4O expense insanity inquests $l5O, all other inquest $165. For county library S2O. Postage for Co. officers, clerk $7. 50, auditor S3O, teamster $lO, recorder S2O, sheriff SB, assessor $5 truant officer 4 revenue, stamps 10, For refunding taxes $l5O. Advances on ditch expenses $250. Highway viewers and reviewers $250. .Free gravel road advances SSO. Teachers’ Institute $75. Burial of Union soldiers and and widows 200. Do soldiers, Spanish war SSO. Janitor for teachers’ institute 10. Salaries of County Council, 80. These appropriation take effect Jan. 1.1900.