USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Weymouth > Town annual report of Weymouth 1936 > Part 3
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Item 18 For the salary of the Weights and measures and all expenses of the Department. Of this sum $300. is for the purchase of a meter testing machine. Tentatively adopted.
1,550.00
Item 19 For Gypsy and all other pest extermination to be expended under the direction of the Gypsy Moth Superintendent. Of this sum $1,500. shall be used for work on private property for which the Town shall be reimbursed. Tentatively adopted.
4,500.00
Item 20 For the salary of the Tree Warden and the care of shade trees. Tentatively adopted.
1,500.00
Item 21 For street Lighting. Tentatively adopted.
31,921.52
275.00
Item 22 For the salary of the Harbor Master and all other expenses of the Harbor Master's Department. Mr. Sandy Roulston offered the following substitute motion; That the sum of $800. be raised and approp- riated for the salary and expenses of the Harbor Master, covering his duties as such and his services in connection with the abatement of the oil nuisance along the bathing beach. Mr. Ronald A. MacDonald moved: That the salary of the Harbor Master be $500.
The motion of Mr. Roulston being the largest sum
was put and declared lost. More than seven members having doubted the vote a recount was ordered. The Moderator appointed Francis X. Kelly, Timothy G. Osborn and George W. Ventre as Tellers, they were sworn as such by the Moderator. The tellers reported 119 voting in the affirmative and 60 in the negative, the motion of Mr. Roulston was was tentatively adopted. This motion negatives the motion of Mr. MacDonald.
$78,000.00
25
Item 23 For the salaries and all other expenses of the Board of Health including the payment of compensation for investigations by a member of the Board and the payment of the established rate of compensation to a member of the Board as an Inspector should the Board appoint one of its own members to such a position.
14,000.00
Of this sum 1,200. shall be for compensation of a Dental Hygienist. Tentatively adopted.
Item 24 For the employment of Nurses. 2,000.00
The Board of Selectmen are hereby authorized to contract with the Weymouth Visiting Nurse Asso- ciation to furnish the services of one or more nurses in case such services are a proper charge against the Town. Tentatively adopted.
Item 25 For the maintenance of the Norfolk County Tuber- culosis Hospital. Tentatively adopted.
13,757.56
Item 26 For Garbage Removal. 4,500.00
The Selectmen are authorized to contract for the disposal of garbage from April 1st, 1936 to April 1st, 1937 and in addition to this sum may use whatever unexpected balance remains in the existing approp- riation for this purpose. Tentatively adopted.
Item 27 For the Public Welfare.
161,105.00
Provided that $90,000. shall be for relief of persons having a legal settlement in the Town; $40,000. for for the relief of persons not having a legal settle- ment in the Town; $10,000 for reimbursement to other cities and towns for relief provided by them to persons having a legal settlement in the Town. The above appropriations may be expended as one fund after November 1st of the current year.
Infirmary; $6,990. for all expenses of the Town other administrative $9,213. for salaries and all
and miscellaneous expenses of the Department; $4,000. as compensation to Doctors and other medical services rendered; provided further that any part of the above sum may be expended for miscellaneous welfare items after the Appropriation Committee has approved such expenditures. Tentatively adopted.
Item 28
For old Age Assistance under Chapter 118 of the
General Laws (Ter. Ed.)
Tentatively adopted.
Item 29 For Pensions. 1,575.00
Tentatively adopted.
Item 30
For Soldiers "benefits", including State and Military
Aid, Soldiers' Relief and the burying of Indigent
Soldiers and Sailors.
Tentatively adopted.
76,000.00
17,050.00
26
Item 31 For the salaries, general maintenance, removal of snow, highway and sidewalk construction and repair, and the purchase and maintenance of equipment. 115,000.00
Of this sum $6,480. is to be expended for the collection of rubbish and $4,000. for the purchase of equipment. Mr. Peter Gallant moved to amend by reducing this sum $5,000. omitting the sum of $4,000. for new equip- ment and reducing the salary of the Superintendent $1,000. Not a vote.
Tre motion of the Appropriation Committee was tentatively adopted.
Item 32 For the support of the Public Schools. In addition to this sum $2,398.98 being the sum re- ceived from the County by way of Statutory Distribu- tion of the Dog Tax is hereby appropriated for School purposes making a total of $411,194. Tentatively adopted.
408,895.02
Item 33 For the maintenance of Tufts Library and its branches.
22,903.00
Of this sum $8,775 is to be expended for clerical hire and assistance as set forth in the Trustee's Budget as filed with the Town Accountant. $1,944. of this sum is specifically appropriated for the reading room at the Fogg Library. The income from the several trust funds of the Town are hereby made available for library purposes. Tentatively adopted.
Item 34 For the observance of Memorial Day.
650.00
To be expended under the direction of nine to be appointed from the several veteran and hereditary organizations in accordance with the provisions of General Laws, (Ter. Ed.) Chapter 40, Section 5, Clause 12, by the Moderator who shall designate the Chairman, said amount to be available only in case the known graves of deceased veterans of all wars have been decorated without discrimination. Tentatively adopted.
Item 35 For Parks and Playgrounds. 5,500.00 Of this sum $1200. is for the salaries of Instructors. Tentatively adopted.
Item 36 For Miscellaneous expenses. 2,150.00
Of this sum $500. is for defraying the cost of the use of Town buildings by private individuals or organizations. Tentatively adopted.
Item 37 For unpaid Bills. 374.78
Mr. Everett E. Callahan moved as an amendment by adding the sum of $287. for bills received after the appropriation Committee had made their recom- mendation, making a total of $661.78.
This amendment was voted, the motion as amended was tentatively adopted.
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Unpaid Bills
Henry F. Godin services as Milk Inspector
$42.08
11 & 12 1935 12/21/34 to
Mass. Eye & Ear Inf. Vernon Birchmore (Wel).
37.65
1/12/35
Wey. Lt. & Power Co. Town Hall
2.89
12/17/35
Wey. Lt. & Power Co.
Welfare Dept.
21.71
11/ 4/35
Water Dept.
Wey. Park Dept.
12.00
35
Water Dept.
Lovell's Cor. Playground
60.35
10/ 9/35
Water. Dept.
Weston Park
6.70
12/ 3/35
Water Dept.
Wey.Park Dept.
125.30
5/23/33 thru
5/ 9/33
Ralph Salemme Work done at Lake St.
5/19/34
playground.
16.00
5/21/-23-27
Unpaid bills for Welfare Department
Dr. Joseph Lellyveld, Mrs. Walter Gibson,
3.00
6/22/35
A & P Tea Co., Mrs. George P. Mullin
10.00
7/ 6/35
First Nat. Stores, Mrs. George P. Mullin
10.00
7/13/35
First Nat. Stores, Mrs. George P. Mullin
10.00
7/22/35
First Nat. Stores, Mrs. George P. Mullin
10.00
7/29/35
L. B. Maddox, Mark Coolen
5.00
9/27/35
Alvin Hollis & Co., Astro Marcolini
2.10
1/15/35
$ 374.78
Everett E. Callahan moved to amend by adding the sum of $287. as follows:
George Blackburn
8.00
12/24/35
Charles McAndrews
4.00
12/20/35
John LeBlanc
4.00
12/14/35
Merton Grant
4.00
12/16/35
Kendall Castle
4.00
12/14/35
Harry Landers
5.00
12/24/35
Walter Aitken
5.00
12/16/35
Ralph A. Moulton
5.00
12/24/35
John Simpson
6.00
12/20/35
Arthur Shores
6.00
12/18/35
Willard Glover
6.00
12/21/35
Vincent Frazier
6.00
12/24/35
Edward Furness
6.00
12/24/35
Alfred H. Cowett
6.00
12/16/35
John W. Coleman
6.00
12/24/35
E. W. Cole
6.00
12/18/35
Ernest Cole
6.00
12/24/35
Daniel Cassetti
6.00
12/24/35
Alfred H. Cowett
6.00
12/26/35
Alfred Aikens
7.00
12/24/35
Everett Kofine
7.00
12/24/35
Joseph Landers
7.00
12/24/35
Lawrence Brady
8.00
12/24/35
Meredith Trufant
8.00
12/24/35
George Frazier
8.00
12/24/35
Charles McAndrews
8.00
12/24/35
Charles McGilvray
8.00
12/28/35
John McAndrews
8.00
12/24/35
Robert Newell
8.00
12/18/35
Harold Shores
8.00
12/24/35
Walter Aikens
9.00
12/24/35
Augustus E. Chase
9.00
12/24/35
12/19/35
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Fred Jones
9.00
12/24/35
John LeBlanc
9.00
12/24/35
Thomas Doyle
10.00
12/24/35
Reginald Belcher
10.00
12/24/35
Paul Longchamps
10.00
12/24/35
$ 256.00
Money advanced by Chief of Fire Department
to call man Earl MacDonald for services as a
call member for the year 1935
25.00
Robert L. Sprague, 6 hrs. labor for woods fire
on Pleasant St., May 27, .1935
6.00
Making a total of $ 287.00
Item 38 For Overdrafts under General Laws (Ter. Ed).
Chapter 44, Section 31. Tentatively adopted.
$ 61.28
Item 39 For the salaries and all expenses of the
Water Department. This sum is all to be provided from the revenue of the Water Department. Tentatively adopted.
94,371.25
Item 40 That no action be taken under this article. Tentatively adopted.
Item 41 For the operation of the Alewife Fishery. Tentatively adopted.
350.00
Item 42 For the care of Soldiers' Graves under General Laws, (Ter.Ed). Chapter 115, Section 2, including the placing of new markers and replacing new ones which have become lost or damaged, however, that all markers shall be set in the ground in such a manner that they cannot be removed or displaced. This amount includes the sum of $75. for grave markers, the care of which are hereby placed under the custody of the Custodian of Soldiers' Graves Tentatively adopted.
1,554.00
Item 43 That no action be taken under this article. Tentatively adopted.
Item 44 For Interest and Discount. Tentatively adopted.
28,000.00
Item 45 For the Retirement of Bonds and Notes due in 1936 Tentatively adopted.
70,000.00
Item 46 For the municipal Buildings Insurance Fund. Tentatively adopted.
1.00
Item 47 For Fire and other Insurance. Tentatively adopted.
15,100.00
Item 48
For a Reserve Fund.
Tentatively adopted.
48,000.00
Provided further that all salaries of elected officials shall remain at the same figure as last year except as hereinbefore otherwise set forth, and . that no Department shall spend a sum in excess of that expended in the last fiscal year for salaries or clerical hire except in the Town Accountant's
29
and the Town Clerk's Departments and by the Trustees of the Tufts Library and such salary changes as are set forth in the School Com- mittee's budget as filed with the Town Accountant. £ Tentatively adopted. Voted: That all the Items under Article 1 of the warrant that have been tentatively adopted be regularly adopted.
Article 2. Moved: That the sum of $24,400 shall be expended for the purposes of this article under the joint direction of Messers Marshall F. Spear and Frank A. Pray and that this sum shall include compensation for services performed by them in reference to Federal or State Relief Projects and provided that any part of this sum may be expended for any of the purposes of the Federal Relief Administration or its successors in carrying on any relief activities or other matters referred to this Com- mittee by the Town.
Mr. John H. Moran moved to amend: That this Committee shall be appointed 1 by the Selectmen; 1 by the Planning Board and 1 to be ap- pointed by the Moderator. The amendment was accepted by the Approp- riation Committee.
The motion as amended was so voted.
Article 3 Motion of the Appropriation Committee: That all Com- mittees who have not rendered a final report be continued until the work under their charge is completed.
Under this article Mr. Charles E. Stiles moved: That part of the re- port of the Committee appointed last year in regard to renaming streets in the Town that have similar names in regard to Pierce Ct. to Page St. be stricken from their report. So voted.
Mr. Lyman C. Goodrich for the Committee to study and recommend a plan of municipal government, appointed last annual town meeting, read the report of the Committee, as follows:
To the inhabitants of the Town of Weymouth
Your Committee elected to investigate, study, and hold such hearings as deemed necessary under Articles 26-27 and 28 of the town warrant of 1935 and also investigate further and recommend a plan of municipal government, submits the following report. It has given an opportunity for all interested to be heard and has held a number of meetings.
The Committee believes regarding Article 25 and 28 that no change in the number of members either of the Appropriation Committee or Select- men should be made.
To all of the foregoing the Committee is in unanimous agreement.
LYMAN C. GOODRICH JOHN W. FIELD NEWLAND H. HOLMES DANIEL P. SULLIVAN CORNELIUS J. LYNCH
30
Majority Report
The majority of your committee finds, with regard to Aritcle 27 of the Town Warrant for 1935, that there is a demand by a large number of citizens in Weymouth for an improvement in the method of conducting the business of the Town. They find that the Executive authority is so divided that lack of responsibility to the voters at present results.
The large and growing town of Weymouth under modified town meet- ing rules, no longer receive full benefits of the old fashioned town meeting.
Many Citizens believe there is a strong sentiment to change to a city form of government with a mayor as executive who would appoint department heads. The latter would be directly responsible to the mayor for their departments and the mayor in turn would be responsible to the voters for the efficient carrying on of the business of the town. That responsibility would be his and his alone.
He would carry out the orders of the council. The council would be elected by the people of each ward and become the Legislative Depart- ment.
It would determine the expenditures and decide upon improvements to be made. Its decision would be subject to veto by the mayor but could be passed over that veto by a two-thirds of the council.
Then this in brief is the operation of government under a city charter as prepared by Chapter 43 of the General Laws of Massachusetts, Plan B. Such changes offer a compact group of officials with a responsible ex- ecutive whose administration would be more stable in policy, more efficient in service, and more representative of the whole town as the mayor and council would be held strictly accountable for their actions to the voters who elect them.
Many of our townspeople are dissatisfied with the present headless form of government which lacks direction, and responsibility. These citizens believe that the people of the town should be extended the right to vote upon the plan as outlined in this majority report.
Therefore we recommend that the town meeting authorize the placing on the next annual ballot in proper form for a referendum the question: "Shall the Town of Weymouth adopt for its government a City Charter Plan B."
LYMAN C. GOODRICH JOHN W. FIELD CORNELIUS J. LYNCH
Minority Report of Committe on Municipal Government
In carrying out the duties of town government the qualified inhabitants meet, deliberate, act and vote in their natural and personal capacities, whereas, under city government, all this is done by representatives-and here we might well apply the old adage,-"If you want a thing well done, do it yourself." It is true that in a town as large as Weymouth it becomes impossible to assemble all of the voters under a single roof to settle town affairs, but the many who were reluctant to delegates their right to settle town affairs to the large town meeting group should be doubly reluctant to change the large number of town meeting representatives serving at the present time for a small group of councillors who would not be composed of not more than a dozen members. This is delegation of authority to the (nth) degree. There is only a slight difference between the powers and duties of city and town government although speaking
31
generally towns under the general laws have broader authority than do cities operating under a special legislative act termed the city charter.
It may sound more dignified and pretentious to refer to the "Mayor" rather than "to the Selectmen"; and "city councillors" to some may sound better than "town meeting members", but this is hardly a sufficient reason to bring a change in the form of government.
The facts are that the smaller group of governing officials the farther away the government is from the people. The present town meeting does not, of course, give perfect satisfaction, but at least the principle business is done at a single meeting, at which time the budget, which may be termed the program for the year, with the estimated cost of carrying it out, is presented by the departments, recommended by the Finance Committee, may be discussed by all of the voters, and finally is voted by the town meeting members.
While it has been held that the bi-monthly or monthly meetings of a city council will facilitate carrying on affairs of local government, bear in mind that the Selectmen meet weekly to perform their municipal duties. but we may be thankful that the Selectmen cannot appropriate money or add to the tax burden but may only supervise the expenditure of money already appropriated by the town.
On the other hand, the small group of city councillors easily con- trolled by a combination of small minorities can and do yield to the temptation to continually appropriate money and add to the tax burden at the slightest provocation, often incurring municipal debt to cover appro- priations when other revenue producing fields have failed.
This explains why city government is always more costly and ex- pensive than town government and why the outstanding general debt of cities exceeds that of large towns.
On January 1, 1935 the cities showed a ratio of net debt to valuation of 3.67 while the ratio of the town of more than 5,000 population was 1.95. In spite of the larger expenditures in cities it is well known that the service given in larger towns is equal to or better than the service given in the cities.
A particularly objectionable feature in smaller cities is the require- ment that nearly all of the city employees must be under the provisions of civil service, while in towns only those employees which the town determines are subject to civil service laws.
While civil service is often desirable and necessary in the larger munici- palities and other branches of government, it has been found to be expen- sive, annoying and otherwise undesirable when extended to all departments of a small city.
The representative town meeting form of government has three dis- tinct advantages :-
: (1) The makeup of the town meeting members is very apt to be composed not only of a representative body of men and women but of men and women of recognized ability in their particular lines.
(2) The expense of administration is likely to be much less than it would be under the city form of government. The reason is plain, for once you become a city you expect to do things as cities do them, and that frequently leads to an organization which calls for nonproductive em- ployees who receive a poor living wage and yet more than they actually earn for the municipality.
(3) The greater thing today is the personal interest which our citi-
32
zens take in public affairs. Today we find activities furnished at public expense which appear to be actual necessities but which only a few years ago were considered luxuries; and as a consequence the tax rates are becom- ing a burden. We do not expect to see, and we doubt if we even desire to go back to the old order of things, so that upward costs and increased tax rates must be expected.
If this be so, every effort should be made not only to continue to interest the citizens most successful in private affairs in public affairs, but if possible to retain their services and council. We do not believe many will contend that a city government reflects the personality which a town government does. The only criticism of a town government is that it may be inefficient and in a measure this is true, but we do not agree that inefficiency is eliminated in cities where the government in a degree continues its own membership by placing friends on public payrolls.
Theodore N. Waddell, Director of Accounts for more than 25 years in direct contact with municipal officials, municipal problems and municipal finances, is the author of the following statement:
"From my study of city and town government, I am convinced that the representative form of town government is best suited to our large towns, as it is practicable, tends to retain to a large degree the services of our most energetic citizens, maintains the civic interest of all citizens and is no less efficient, but less ex- pensive, than the next step, namely, city government."
Recently we have been discussing this question with the man who was the first mayor of Westfield and who has had an unusually wide ex- perience in municipal affairs in that he served the town of Westfield for many years as Town Clerk, Treasurer and Collector, then as mayor of the city, and at the conclusion of his term as mayor served for eight years in the city council of Westfield. He states to us that it is his positive opinion that city government has nothing advantageous to offer in a com- munity with a population of 20,000 to 25,000, and while he is of the opinion that the city of Westfield may have given more service then the town enjoyed, he adds that he believes that the city has given more service than the taxpayers could afford to pay for and has built up the city to a point where maintenance costs become oppressive.
This former mayor also had an opportunity to become familiar with city and town governments in the western part of the state where he audited municipal accounts for some time. He states that he has made a comparision of accomplishments in Westfield and Gardner, which ac- cepted the city form of government with West Springfield and Greenfield. which adopted representative town meeting form of government at about the same time, and that the result of this study indicates that, although all of these municipalities are similar in character, the government in West Springfield and Greenfield has been more economical, and he be- lieves that it has been more satisfactory. He adds the opinion that com- munities up to 40,000 and 50,000 are not as well adapted to city as to town government and in the long run the towns get more for less money.
As we have listened to the frequent criticism, we have concluded that it is usually the officials rather than the form of government that is subjected to criticism. Have we any reason to believe that city govern- ment will encourage more capable citizens to seek office? Our personal observance of what has happened in other municipalities might lead us to believe that the type of officials in cities may deteriorate rather than improve.
There have been complaints that town employees have been candidates for and elected as town meeting members. It does not seem to us that
33
criticism of this feature of our government is justified for, after all, the officials elected are the peoples choice, and how can we go back on that? We are firmly convinced that the men elected to office in any community give to that community the type of service which is desired by the majority because when they stop giving such service the situation is in the power of the voters to correct and we cannot doubt that they will take advantage of the opportunity given them. The government reflect what the people want and when the majority are sufficiently aroused over conditions that they feel are undesirable and exist, we can be assured that corrective action will be taken.
The more representative of its citizens the government is, the sooner the objectionable features of government will be corrected and removed.
On the question of changing form of town government to city, we do not agree with the majority of this committee.
It is our belief that the majority of the citizens of this town are dissatisfied with more the method than of the form of government. Many citizens complain of the lack of authority and inability to place respon- sibility. We believe that this can be corrected, if those elected to the Board of Selectmen will, on organization, assign not more than two of its members to various standing committees pertaining to departments and other subjects that may come before the board as to the government of the town to wit: Accounts, Engineering, Fire, Garages and automobiles, Heating and Lighting, Infirmary, Lights, Wires and Poles, Licenses, Police, Public Health, Public Building Permits, Suits and Claims, Town Hall, Welfare and any other necessary standing committees.
As to a city form of government, we have no argument that will en- sure to the citizens of Weymouth a better form of government or a lower tax rate.
The average tax rate of 13 cities with a population of 25,000 and under for the year 1935 was $35.22. The tax rate of every city of 50,000 and under was over $30.00 and some over $40.00. The average tax rate for 1935 for all cities was $37.28 and the average for all towns over 10,000 was $32.46. The average of all towns with a population comparable to the smallest city was $31.57.
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