Glaring Defects

Everyone who has been called upon to take part in the city government of Aun Arbor lias bpcome acquainted with many glaring defects in that govemment, partly flefects of the charter and partly the growth of custom. The city is working under an antedeluvian charter, which was clo3ely modeled after a charter possessed by Ypsilanti manv years ago and which that city discarded in 1872. Ann Arbor still keeps that old charter which long sineeproved inefficiënt for Ypsilanti. It is the purpose of a short series of articles to appear in the Argüs to point out some of these defects and some of the abuses which have insensibly grown up owing to the fact that what is everybodies business is nobody's business. The first trouhle with the charter is that it makes it impossible for the people to attach the responsibility of mnission or commission to the parties really to blame. The most important city legislation issometimes passed, without a yea and nay vote, and with only a few of the aldermen Yoting on a viva voce vote, the others sometimes evading responsibility by claiming net to have voted for the resolution or ordinance. We are notspeabingnow of the present council. Largo sums of money are voted away by Ihis same viva voce system of voting, some responding and others keeping silent. The same careful consideration is not given questious as when a man knows he is going on record as made by a yea and nay vote. Aldevmen are overburdened with executive work. The council properly should be a legislativo body. But in Ann Arbor, the government consists of fourteen executivea. Histoiy has proven that the executive f unctions are best exercised by a responsible head. As it is, the al.lermen are required to spend a great deal of time in the city's service without compensation and we are strongly tempted to say without even thanks. No wonder that sometimes our very best aldermen decline re-election. Butconcerning the mayorality and the council we shall have much more to say in future articles. # The city bas some very valuable records, which it paid many dollars for at the time they were made and wlnch may at times become very important in a tinancial sense to the city. These records are scattered all over the town. Many of them were last week taken out of the cellar of the store occupied by Goodyear and St. James, covered witb the dust and mold of years. Some we understand, had been destroyed for waste paper. City EngineerDavis tells us tbat he had occasion on some street question to hunt tip some surveya or plats and found what he wanted on a cellar bottom, covered with mold and some of the city plats were found torn entiiely through. Others of these records are said to be in attics about the city and stored away in boxes, no one Knows where. And all this while the city had a public hall, built at the expense ot the taxpayers, where it might be supposed all papers belonging to the city would be kept properly assorted so that wher a paper is wanted it would not be necessary to hunt all over the town for it. VVhy is this not done? Si m ply because the city recorder is engaged in other business and the recorder's office is wherever the city recorder hap. pens to be doing business. Keeorders often change. The two small desks which go to make up the paraphanalia of the recorder's office become filled with papers. Then boxes are called into use and the papers are indiscriminately piled into them. A box of papers is in the way. It is put to one Bide. And as time rolls on and new recorders are elected, boxes of papers are left here and there and when it becomes necessary to hunt back some vears for papers, it proves no light task. The remedy for this state of affairs would be a recorder's office in Firemen's hall, so that when recorders change, the office remains where it is. There the city files should be kept and so systematically arranged that tho city officers or citizens can find what they want without spending weeks inthesearch. It would greatly lighten the labors of the officers and would cause them to do their work more understandingly. Now when it becomes necessary to know what was done some years ago, the memory of men have to be depended upon more than would be the case were official documents handy. The scope of the recorder's work should be changed, Why should he be keep ing ihe record of his own doings and savings in the council chamber. Ilow can he be expected to properly record and delibérate at the same time? The recorder or properly city cleik is not ' elected because it is supposed he will make a good citv father, but because he possesses clerical ability and can propeiiv run that part of the city government. The vote of the reccrder in the council should be taken away. We don't now recollect another Micrf igan city where the clerk still retains bis vote in the council In other directk,ns the scope of his duties should be enlarged. He should be the clerk of all committees. He is supposed to be able to keep proper minutes and some man should have charge of the details that can place thetn upon paper and keep them handy for reference. He should be the general accountant of the city and should keep his accounts in auch a marnier that the linancial condition of tbe city can be told at any moment. No man would tor a moment attempt to run a private business invol ving an expenditure of $30,000 yearly with the best set of books ever kept by the city of Ann Arbor. A book keeper for such a business would be required to spend more of his time on his books and he would justly receive a little better salary. Lt would pay. Every year the city loses property because it does not know it has property rights owing to chanjing officials and the lack of proper records. This point we shal1 still further develope. It is a startling fact, but the recorders reports read monthly to the council, have been largely valueless for some years, because they are uot accurate. They cannot now be made accurate without a vast deal of labor and considerble expense to the city, to employ an expert to go back through a series of years and start them correctly. Each recorder begins where the last leaves off and he begins wrong. The recorder'3 book shows a larger balance in the treasury than tne treasurer's books do and it should be the other way. lt is not the fault of Recorder Bach. It would take a whole year of his salary to rectify the mistakes existing when he took charge. It is the same way with Ex Recorder Pond. The books were not correct when he took charge, and so we could go on tracing them back through a series ot recorders. Let us have an accurate setf of books and let us know day by day how the city stands financially, ifyou want the best of governments. ♦ # These are only a few ot the reasons, why we need a new charter for this city. Cómmence at the foundation and build upa good strong business like administration . For the present, it looks as if a recorder's office ought to be fitted up in fireman's hall.