Minutes of a Called Meeting of the City Council. Austin, Texas Feb. 5th 1894. Hon. Lewis Hancock, Mayor, presiding. Pro. [illegible]. Present Aldermen Dunn, Maddox, Black, Burns, Schneider, and Stamps. Absent Aldermen Beaty, Beloin, Fischer, [illegible], Horton, Lawless, [illegible] Miller, Stitchner, Todd, Robertdeau, [illegible], Hollingsworthy, Townsend and [illegible] 16. Alderman Maddox moved a call of the Council which was seconded. [illegible] carried. Present Aldermen Beaty, Beloin, Fischer, Harris, Horton, Lawless, [illegible] Miller, Stitchner, Todd, Robertdeau, Hollingsworth, Shelley, Townsend and [illegible] 16. The Marshal was ordered to bring in absentees. Aldermen Beloin, Haynes, Miller, McStachney, Robertdeau, Shelley, Townsend, and [illegible] entered the Council Chamber and answered to their names. Alderman Beloin moved to suspend the call, which motion prevailed. The following call of the Council was read: Austin, Texas Feb. 5, 1894. Roll of Council for Special Meeting A special meeting of the City Council is hereby called to meet in the Council Chamber at the City Hall, on this day February 5th 1894, at 4:30 o'clock p.m. for the purpose of further considering the budget adopted by the Council on February 1st and making same to conform to Sections 106 to 109 of the City Charter, and considering the necessary ordinances and resolutions to carry into effect said budget. - Lewis Hancock, Mayor. Marshals Certificate Austin, Texas Feb. 5th 1894. 3 p.m. I hereby certify that the following named Aldermen have been served with the above call by having it read to each of them in person, viz: Beaty, Beloin, Fischer, Haynes, Burns, Lawless, Maddox, Stitchner, Black, Powell, Reed, Robertdean, Hollingsworth, Schneider, Shelley, Stamps, Taylor, Townsend and [illegible], and that Aldermen Horton, [illegible] and Miller have been served by a true copy, having been left at each of their respective places of business; they being out of the City. James C. Lucy, City Marshal M- Mayor's Special Message The Mayor Pro. Trad Pro. following special message: Mayor's Office Austin, Texas February 5th 1894. To the Hon. City Council: Gentlemen: Section 106 of the City Charter requires that the City Government shall, in so, conducted that no obligations shall be incurred on account of the annual revenue beyond the estimated revenues. "In order to make these restrictions effective, such as the [illegible] the Charter, Section 106 requires the Council [illegible] on or after [illegible] the [illegible] approved a list of [illegible] and the Council shall [illegible] and then [illegible] to [illegible] and shall [illegible] of the revenue [illegible] amounts [illegible] of [illegible] and [illegible] upon [illegible] order [illegible] may --- Page break --- 572 Mayor's Special Message regular employee, and of the amount required to meet the other ordinary expenses of the City Government, not including work on the Streets and other Public improvements. This clearly makes it the duty of the Council to adopt an itemized schedule of disbursements which shall provide for the payment of all Officers and regular employees, and of the other known and foreseen expenses of the City, which schedule in its total shall not exceed the estimated revenues, and so, not bring the City in debt at the end of the fiscal year; and it is specially declared that work on the Streets shall not be included in this schedule, so that expenditures of that character can only be made out of any money that may be left over after fully paying the ordinary, that is the known, expenses of the City Government. It is evident then that the budget adopted by you at your last regular meeting, in view of the recitation is not with the requirements, violates these requirements in several particulars: 1st in not providing for the salaries of various regular employees whose services may or not be dispensed with by you; 2nd in not providing for any compensation to Aldermen, when the Charter requires that they shall be paid at least Five Dollars per month, and 3rd in including estimates for work on the Streets and bridges; that therefore it is not such an estimate as is required by the Charter, and the result is the same as if no estimate at all had been adopted. The Charter not only makes it the duty of the Council to adopt such an estimate of expenditures as is outlined above and to be governed by the same in all appropriations, but it wisely goes further and in Section 163 provides that, after two months from the beginning of any fiscal year, unless such estimate shall be in force, no appropriations shall be made for any purpose other than to pay the regular Salaries of Officers and Employees and expenses of the Hospitals. The inhibition against appropriations is an inhibition against the incurring of obligations which would be liquidated by these appropriations. Under these circumstances the operation of the City Government in its many departments, brought to a standstill. The purchase of fuel for the City teams, the hiring of teamsters and hands, by the Street Commissioner and Sanitary Officer, the printing of the Council proceedings, the purchase of stationery, stamps, coal, etc., are unauthorized, and are done at the peril of those dealing with the City. Not only so, but such purchases and services cannot be paid out of the revenues of next year; they must be paid out of the revenues of this year; and the result will be that if a proper estimate is not speedily adopted, the City may never be lawfully authorized to pay such obligations, however willing the Council may be to do so. It is therefore necessary for me to urge upon you the necessity for immediate action. This has been repeatedly been here before. Suggestions for bringing the expenditures within the revenues have been made to you by [illegible] by [illegible] Committee, and lately by a special committee, who reported [illegible] with [illegible] and [illegible] Resolution, the [illegible] their report within the [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] For result [illegible] [illegible] the Finance [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] the Expenditures [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] --- Page break --- 573 Mayor's Special Message Officers and regular employees, and the expenses of the City Hospital, can be paid, but no obligations for any other purpose can be lawfully incurred or, if incurred lawfully filled. This is a wise and salutary provision of our Charter, and I trust, will receive your immediate attention. Respectfully, Lewis Hancock, Mayor. Aldermen Curtiss and Saylor entered the Council Chamber. Reconsideration of vote Alderman Schneider moved to reconsider the vote by which the Council adopted had Adopting Budget pre- the budget presented at the last meeting, by the special Committee, which sented by Special Committee motion prevailed. Alderman Aberdeen then presented the following as a substitute for the Substitute Budget for budget prepared by the Council: Fiscal Year ending Nov. 30, of Estimated expenditures out of the General Fund of the City of Austin for the fiscal year, December 1st 1895 to November 30th 1896 Salaries of Officers 13,875.00 Salaries of Police 13,750.50 Estimated Cemetery Department 783.00 Expenditures Sanitary Department 3,564.53 Fire Department 8,105.50 Meals City Prisoners 470.50 City and County Hospital 4,797.54 Printing, Stationery and Postage 1,463.11 Charity 1,053.81 Salary Pound Master 876.00 Salary City Auditor 780.00 Salary Aldermen 2,640.00 Salary Porter 480.00 Pay Old Water Company 10,760.00 Miscellaneous 3,000.00 Total. 64,342.51 Estimated Receipts Estimated receipts as found by the Budget Committee 50,270.00 Leaves a balance of $5,885.58 Out of this sum the Council must pay the street force and for reflooring bridges across Colorado River. Alderman Saylor moved the adoption of the substitute budget. Adoption Item by Item Alderman Maddox moved that the substitute be considered item by item Adopted. The First Item, Salaries of Officers, was read and adopted by the following vote: Yeas Aldermen Beirne, Harris, Nunn, Lucas, Maddox, Miller, Nott, Powell, Rosenberg, Schneider, Nolting, Saylor, Townsend and [illegible] 14 Nays Aldermen Nikolina and Klumpt 2 The Second Item was read and adopted. Alderman Nunn moved to reconsider the vote adopting the second Item Lost, by the following vote: Yeas Aldermen Beirne, Lucas, Maddox, Schneider, Powell, Schraider, Klumpt and Townsend 8. Nays Aldermen Nunn, Townsend, Miller, Nott, Rosenberg, Nolting, [illegible] and [illegible] 9. --- Page break --- 574 The third and fourth items were then adopted. The fifth item, Fire department, was read; Alderman Taylor moved to reduce the amount of rent for Washington Fire Company's Hall from 600.00 to $300.00 Alderman Belvin moved to table the amendment offered by Alderman Taylor which motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas, Aldermen Belvin, Halpres, Kuhn, Lawless, Nitschner, Powell, Roberdeau, Schneider, Stumpf, Zilert 10 Nays, Aldermen Maddox, Miller, Platt, Shelley, Taylor and Townsend 6. The item of the Fire department was then adopted. The remaining items were then read and separately adopted, after which Alderman Shelley moved the adoption of the budget as a whole, which motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas, Aldermen Belvin, Hawkes, Kuhn, Lawless, Maddox, Miller, Platt, Powell, Roberdeau, Shelley, Stumpf, Taylor, Townsend and Zilert 14. Nays, Aldermen Nitschke and Schneider 2. On motion of Alderman Powell the Council adjourned. Geo. B. Robinson City Clerk.