BOROUGH MANAGEMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 October 1919, Page 7

BOROUGH MANAGEMENT.

GENERAL MANAGER-SCHEME, ■ The sub-cornruitteo of the New Ply"; mouth Borough Council, consisting of the .Mayor (Mr. C. H. Burgess), and Crs. Clarke, Bayden, and Parkin, submitted the following report to the Council last night on the question of a-, scheme of control of borough work by means of a General Manager:— (a.) That the Council be recommenaed to approve of the principle of the appointment cf a general manager for the Borough upon) the lines of the modified report submitted by the Town Clerk on the 25th. ult. I (b.) TOat the wort of the Council be reorganised into the following departments:— Public Works—All matters relating to or affecting the construction, alteration, repair, maintenance, or cleaning of streets laying out of new streets or right-of-ways, alterations of existing streets and sub-division of land, and tree planting on streets. All matters relating to or affecting sewers, waterworks, reserves, domains, cemetery, housing, and town planning, determination of sites for end construction of public conveniences, the administration of the building by-laws, the control of the abattoir and matters relating thereto. Head of department: Borough engineer. Electric Light and Tramways DepartmentAll matters affecting the electricity, tramways, and motor bus undertakings. Head of department: The electrical and tramways engineer. Inspector's Department.—All matters relating l h> the following: Sanitary services, public, health, and nuisances, the sale of food, baths, seaside reserves and bathing places, pounds and pound-keepers, storage of dangerous goods, fire escapes on private buildings, supervision and control of all theatres and places of public amusement or resort, and matters of public safoty, administration of by-laws relating to traffic on streets, and the licensing of drivers and vehicles. Head of Department:' The chief Inspector. (c.) That in future there be only two Standing Committees of the Council as follows:

Finance.—Consisting of three members, and dealing with all matters relating to the financial affairs of the council or the collection of council's revenue, the raising of loans authorised by the council, the preparation of the annual estimates and the striking of rates, the' certifying of accounts. All matters relating to the salaries of officials, after receiving a report from the committee concerned, and all matters relating to superannuation. All matters relating to the purchase of the gasworks or any other undertaking, the control of the public library and museum. (Tho Carnegie Institute Committee for the purposes of administration should be treated as a subcommittee of, and should report .to the Finance Committee.) General Purposes Committee.—Consisting of the whole council and controlling all departments. This committee will moot every Monday evening unless otherwise arranged, and will report to the council as at present. It will from time to time appoint such temporary sub-committees as circumstances may require, and in addition will appoint the following standing sub-committees of management : Public Works Department—One councillor (to be chairman), tho general manager, and the borough engineer. When dealing with matters relating to the abattoir, the committee will consult the butchers' representative. Electric Light and Tramways Department. —One councillor (to be chairman), the general manager, and the electrical and tramways engineer. Inspector's Deflartmertts—One councillor to be chairman), tho general manager, and the chief inspector. (d) That the functions and ,dutles of each sub-committee of management to be as follows : 1. To act as an advisory committee to the council, and to tho general manager. 2. To prepare such programme of works, and such measures and resolutions which It may deem necessary or advisable for the welfare of tho borough, and to submit them in a conclso form, with all necessary Information, for the consideration of the council. 3. To deal with all minor matters relating to the affairs of its particular department upon which the head of that department is not empowered to decide, and in particular to decide all applications for new works or extensions, the estimated cost of which shall not exceed £25, tho decision of the committee being in every case communicated to the next meeting of the council In the form of a rccouncil retaining tho right ti> reverse the decision of tho committee In any particular case except In those cases In which it has been deemed necessary or advlsablo to act Immediately. 4. To deal with any matter which may be referred to it by tho council with power to act. 5. To conduct the negotiations for any contract the council may contemplate or desire, any arrangement finally arrived at not to be binding upon, the council until confirmed by it. 6. To examine and recommend to the Finance Committee for payment all accounts, claims, and pay-sheets connected with and arising from tho work of its particular department. 7. The general manager or head of the department concerned shall have tho right to submit a- minority report In any particular case, and If the matter under consideration relates to organisation or administration the decision of the sub-committee shall not be acted upon until it has been confirmed by the council.

(e.) That tho position of town clerfe, borough treasurer, and general manager be combined, (he person appointed, for convenience 1 * being termed the general manager. (g.) That the powers and duties of the general manager bo as set out in tho schedulo to the town clerk's report on August 25th. last, cf which the following is a copy:— 1. The general manager shall be-the administrative head of the Municipal Government under the control, direction and supervision of the Borough Council, and his duties ond powers shall be as follows: 2. He shall carry cut all duties, powers, authorities, and discretions imposed upon or lo3ted In him as town clerk by virtue of the Municipal Corporations Act or any other statute or any by-law or regulation of the council, and shall see that all resolutions, regulations, and by-laws of the council ore enforced and faithfully executed. 3. He shall exercise control over all departments of tho council, and be responsible for the efficient organisation and administration o* such. departments. He shall not, however, intervene directly in any matter In such departments, or between the head of a department and his employees, but in all cases shall act through the head of each department. 4. He shall be directly accountable to tho council for his actions, conduct, and management of the business affairs and departmental work of the borough. 5. Unless otherwlso directed by resolution cf the council, heads of departmeuw snail retain their powers of administration. Including the right to appoint and lo remove subordinate employees in their respective departments, but the general, manager Bhall have the right to require the head of any department to suspend any subordinate officer or employee, for Incompetence, gross neglect of duty, failure to obey orders given by- the proper authority, personal misconduct, of for any other just and reasonable cause. If any officer or omployee be so suspended, the general manager shall forthwith notify tho fact in writing to the council, together with tho cause for the suspension, and the council shall thereupon render judgment thereon In such a manner as It shall deem fit. C. He shall submit a written report to tho cmirvcil at the ordinary moej'mg In each month of the affairs of the council, and shall, whenever required by the council, make a writton or verbal report a»» may be Indicated in detail of any particular matter reining to tho affairs of the borough within hfe supervision. 7. Ho shall require written monthly reports, snd may require them more often, from each head of department of the affairs of such dopartmenls, and shall submit the same tb the council without amendment. In addition, he may direct reports other than tlm monthly reports to be made verbally by suck heads of departments. All written reports shall be part of tho Teports of the borough, and shall be open to the Inspection of any councillor. Note.—These being tho original conditions they will require to be slightly modified owing to the appointment of the sub-committees of management referred to in paragraph "e." 8. Ho shall attend all meetings of the council and any committee thereof, with power from tirao to time to recommend to the council such measures as he may deem necessary or expedient and to make verbal expfSnations of such measures and to reply to any points raised in the discussion thereon. 9. He shall duly notify all heads of departments of all council and committee meetings, and shall arrange for the attßiidance of heads of departments at council mestlngs, and fur the attendance of the head of tho department concerned at each committee meeting. 10. He shall accurately keep the minutes of the council and shall transmit to the heads or departments written notification of all resolutions of the council relating to their respective departments. 11. He shall have access at all times to the books and papers of any officer or employee of the council, and shall liavo power to examine any such officer or employee in connection therewith. 12. Ho shnll keep the council fully advised as to the financial .condition and needs of the borough, and submit any necessary information respecting the various departments and shall perform such other duties as may reasonably be required of hltt by resolution tf tk* MUM*

(g.) That in pursuance of the provisions of, seotion 70 of The Municipal Corporations Aet v 1608, i>HU 'Tumplaman be anW f«hereby appointed Town Cleric, Borough! Treasurer, . and General Manager for thai 'Borough of New Plymouth, with the power* tend duties enumerated In paragraph "f" of this report for the terra of three years, from November Ist, 1919 and thereafter unfttl the expiration of three months notice In writing by either party, at a salary of £BOO for the first year, £B6O for the second year, and £9OO for the third year. (h.) That an agreement embodying the. above conditions, and such other usual and proper conditions as shall be necessary, be propared by the borough solicitors, and that upon the same being approved by the Finance Committee It will be sealed and signed on behalf of the council by two members of that, committee.

DieCDSSK>N BY COUNCIL. The Mayor said the committee had gone into the matter very earnestly. It was no new thing. It had been in his mind for a long time, and he was convinced that something of the kind would have to be adopted sooner or later. One thing after another wasi being heaped upon the council, and it was evident that councillors would not be able to give the time necessary to the management of the many concerns in which the council was now Ibecomtag involved, The committee was satisfied that there must be some change of this sort. He referred to the offer of the position to Mr. Bellringer, who knew the whole work of the council, and was in close touch 1 with, the other two chief officers of the council. He did not think the council would suffer by the change. If anyone suffered it would be the general manager. The general work of the council would be dealt with in much the same way as now, everything com- : Ing before the General Purposes Committee, thus safeguarding the council against anything the manager might do. j The difference would be that instead of the council having to work out matters for themselves they would be put before them, as worked out by the general manager. The great need for such a change was in the fact that with the growth of municipal business undertak. ingß men would not be found who could give the necessary time to work. Cr, Hayden supported the scheme as he considered it the only thing for a council situated as New Plymouth is. In regard to the position ot general manager, he thought the giving of him authority to spend up to £25 without first consulting the council was not a very risky matter. If he, after consultation with the officers, could not spend £25 rightly, he did not think the wisdom of the council would be any more likely to avoid mistakes. its was only adopting the same system as any ordinary business concern would adopt. In regard to the salary offered, he thought it was lower, in consideration of the amount of capital involved, than would be paid by private enterprises. He did not think they could get a more excellent man for the position than Mr- Bellringer. Cr. Clarke in supporting the proposal, said he believed the council was now involved in bigger undertakings than any private individual in the province. It simply meant the commercialising of the council, and he believed in it. He thought the council was to he congratulated on being the first borough in the Dominion to propose such a scheme. He admitted that its success would depend upon the ability of the general manager and the chairman of committees to make good judgments. In the present system the councillors wasted too much time over minoT matters and referred its big questions to committees to deal with.

Cr, Parkin supported tjie scheme, Crs. Short and Hill were of the opinion that the system would he likely to lessen the interest of councillors generally in the affairs of the borough. Cr. Short thought it would result in the council being led simply hy one man. and in that ease the borough might as well be without a council. It was pointed out by the Mayor that under the present system a large Amount of the work was done by committees, whose recommendations were usually accepted by the council. Any further information required had to be asked for, and that would still be the case under the new system. Responsible officers in every business had to be trusted, and he thought the council should do the same. Personally, he Raw very little danger in the scheme, and felt the intersts of the council and the ratepayers would 'be fully safeguarded. Further discussion resolved itself around tho question of the elimination of an amount of detail work now undertaken by the councillors, and freeing them for consideration of the larger matters that demanded the more careful attention of the council. The Mayor said he thought, if an an amendment of some of the machinery clauses of the raport would meet the views of some of the councillors, that could easily be done He hoped however the matter would not be turned down without due and full consideration. Further discussion was adjourned until the next meeting.