REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL: 273 273 Austin, Texas, September 16, 1943 The City Council convened in Regular Session at the regular meeting place in the Council Chamber at the Municipal Building on Thursday, September 10, 1943, At 10:40 A. M., with Mayor Tom Miller presiding. Roll call showed the following members present: Councilmen Alford, Bartholomew, Gillie, and Mayor Miller; absent, Councilman Wolf. There were present also: Walter E. Seaholm, Acting City Manager; J. E. Motheral, City Engineer; J. M. Patterson, Jr., Acting City Attorney; and R. D. Thorp, Chief of Police. The minutes of the Regular Meeting of September 9, 1943, were rend, and upon motion of Councilman Alford, were adopted as read by the following vote: "Ayes," Councilmen Alford, Bartholomew, Gillis, and Mayor Miller; "Neys," none; Councilmen Wolf absent. The following report of the Board of Equalization was received and ordered filedi "Austin, Texan September 16, 1943 The Honorable Mayor and City Council, City of Austin Austin, Texas Gentlemen: Your Board of Equalization for the year 1943 submits to you the following report covering its work and sincerely trusts that the actions taken may be found acceptable to the City Council and in harmony with your policies as they relate to tax matters. The Board of Equalization convened on August 2, 1943, and adjourned September 16, 1943, All recorda of assessments have been carefully checked. Corrections and adjustments have been mede where, in the judgment of the Board, they were warranted. These changes in voluntion covered all corrections which were necessary because of new buildings, alterations, and changes in personal property. Approximately 2000 items were submitted for consideration. There were 266 protests made to the Board. Inspections were made in each case where requested. Agreements have been reached in 126 cases of this kind, and we have at this time no knowledge of any appeal to the City Council, We wish to extend our thanks to the Tax Department for its cooperation at all times. We also wish to express our appreciation for the confidence placed in us by your Honorable Body. Respectfully submitted, BOARD OF EQUALIZATION By (Sed) John B. Pearson 11 1 Chairman. S. P. Tadlock Member K. R. Meyer Member. Councilmen Alford introduced the following ordinance: AN ORDINANCE FIXING TERMS OF COURT FOR THE CORPORATION COURT OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN. The ordinance was rend the first time and Councilmen Alford moved that the rulen be suspended and the ordinance be passed to its second reading. The motion corried by the following vote: "Ayes," Councilmen Alford, Bartholomew, Gillis, and Mayor Miller; "Nays," none; Councilman Wolf absent. The ordinance was rend the second time and Councilman Alford moved that the rules be further suspended and the ordinance be presed to its third reading. The motion carried by the following vote: "Ayes," Councilmen Alford, Bertholomew, Gillis, and Mayor Miller; "Nays," none; Councilmen Wolf absent. The ordinance was read the third time and Councilman Alford moved that the ordinance be finally passed. The motion carried by the following vote: "Ayes," Councilmen Alford, Bartholomew, Gillis, end Mayor Miller; "Nays," none; Councilmen Wolf absent. The Mayor then announced that the ordinance had been finally passed. 274 01 Councilman Gillis offered the following resolutiont (RESOLUTION) BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN: THAT the City Manager, or in his absence, the Acting City Manager, be, and he is hereby, authorized to sell and convey by special warranty deed to C. W. FAIR and wife, MRS. M. A. FAIR, for a consid- eration of ONE DOLLAR ($1.00) and other acnefits to it derived from said conveyance by the CITY OF AUSTIN, the following described property: Two Thousand Two Hundred Fifteen (2215) square feet of land, beingin portion of Lot 12 of Evergreen Heights Addition to the City of Austin, Trovis County, Texas, according to a map or plat appearing of record in Book "2", page 614, of the Dead Records of Travis County, Texas, and being the land conveyed to the City of Austin by C. W. Fair and wife, Mrs. M. A. Fair, by deed dated July 3, 1935, and being of record in Volume 579, at page 21, of the Deed Records of Travis County, Texas. The CITY OF AUSTIN will retain a perpetual ensement over enid premises for utility purposes and for the purpose of reconstructing and maintaining a fill on enid premises along Fredericksburg Rond. Upon motion of Councilman Gillis, the foregoing resolution was adopted by the following voter "Ayee," Councilmen Alford, Bartholomew, Gillis, and Mayor Miller: "Nays," none; Councilman Wolf absent. The application of Ernest Clark, colored, 1606 Singleton Avenue, for a toxicab driver's permit, recommended for approval by the Acting City Manager, ot al, was submitted. Councilmen Alford moved that the permit be granted. The motion carried by the following vote: "Ayes," Councilmen Alford, Bartholomew, Gillis, and Mayor Miller; "Nays," none; Councilman Wolf absent. The application of Robert Lee Duke, Court 5, Apartment 7. Rosewood Project, for a taxicab driver's permit, recommended for approval by the Acting City Manager, et al, was submitted. Councilman Alford moved that the permit be granted. The motion carried by the following vote: "Ayes," Councilmen Alford, Bartholomew, Gillis, and Mayor Miller: "Nays," none; Councilman Wolf absent. A large delegation, composed of committees from the Junior and Senior Chambers of Commerce, the State Board of Control, the dairy industry, the creamery companies, and others, came before the Council and asked that a public hearing be called by the City Council for the purpose of acquainting the milkconsuming public with, and securing its approval of, the request of the dairymen to the Office of Price Administration for an increase in the wholesale price of milk from $3.75 per hundred weight with a fivecent differential, to $4.15 per hundred weight with a three-cent differentinl, or an increase of one cent (14) per quart in the retail price; said proposed increase being necessary to relieve the critical situation confronting the dairymen on account of the shortage of labor and the high price of livestock feed. Following a lengthy discussion of the matter, in which it was shown by those present that the dairymen were operating at a lows and could not continue in busineer unless riven some relief, it was the sense of the mecting that public hearing be called for Monday, September 20, at eight o'clock P.Μ., in the Council Chamber at the Municipal Building, for the purpose of giving all interested persone an opportunity to express their approval or disapproval of said requested increase in price to the Office of Price Administration. There being no further business, upon motion, seconded and corried, the meeting was recessed et 17:10 P.., subject to coll of the Mayor. ATTEST: Hallicitee City Clerk APPROVED, Jom milla. MAYOR RECESSED MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL: Austin, Texas, September 20, 1943 The City Council convened in Recessed Session in the Council Chamber at the Municipal Building on Monday, September 20, 1943, at 8:10 P. M., with Mayor Tom Miller presiding. Roll call showed the following members presents Councilmen Bartholomew, Gillis, and Mayor Miller; absent, Councilmen Alford and Wolf. There were present also: Walter E. Seaholm, Acting City Manager; J. M. Patterson, Jr., Acting City Attorney; representatives of the Junior and Senior Chambers of Commerce; the dairy industry; the creamery companies; and a large delegation of other interested citizens. The Mayor announced that the meeting was called for a public hearing on the request of the dairymen to the Office of Price Administration for an increase in the ceiling price of milk, and that the meeting was now open to discussion. The dicusssion which followed was substantially as follows: Mrs. Alfred Taylor, representing a large group of women, vis., the Parent-Teacher Associations, the American Association of University Women; various church organizations; and others, stated that they were not opposed to the dairymen getting more for their product to enable them to continue in business, but thought that the best approach to the matter would be by a subsidy from the Federal Government rather than by a raise in the ceiling price, which would encourage inflation, : Mrs. Donald Strong stated that her chief interest was in getting milk for her family, and that she was willing to pay one cent per quart more to get the milk, but does think it is our duty to hold the inflation line. Among those speaking at length in favor of the proposed increase in price, and presenting facts in support of same, were Messrs. Raymond Brooks, R. A. McElroy, McArnold, Geo. C. Quinn, Joe Carrington, Lee Meadows, A. E. Dickey, W. H. Gardner, Ed Barkley, C. W. Powell, G. C. Seiders, T. H. McGregor, and Dr. J. M. Coleman, City Health Officer, who declared that the raise should be two cents per quart to meet the situation. Senator Houghton Brownlee, Chairman of the Senate Investigating Committee, read a lengthy report on the critical condition of the livestock and dairy industries in Texas which his committee has prepared to send to the Governor of Texas and to the Office of Price Administration for consideration. A. E. Dickey offered the suggestion that as everybody agrees that the dairymen have to get another cent per quart or there will be no milk, a committee be appointed to get this one cent by creating a slush fund to fight for it, that the Junior Chamber of Commerce will donate to it, and that it would run about $1.50 per person per year. Following further discussion, A. E. Dickey then moved that a committee be appointed, consisting of Judge Weaver H. Baker, Geo. C. Quinn, and Joe Carrington, and that same be empowered to do whatever 18 necessary to get the dairymen a living price for their milk. Senator T. H. MoGregor offered as a substitute motion that the Mayor hereafter, at his leisure but expeditiously, appoint a committee, to consist of the number he thinks proper, and that the Chamber of Commerce be requested through its agencies to secure a petition from the consumers in the City in favor of this increase, and that the Mayor's committee be furnished with the petition and take the matter up with the Office of Price Administration for an amicable adjustment. Upon being advised by Raymond Brooks that similar action had already been taken in a meeting of the Chambers of Commerce and dairymen, Senator McGregor withdrew his motion. C. W. Powell suggested that the raise should be two cents per quart, but moved that this body go on record as being in favor of one cent per quart increase. The motion was seconded by W.Z.Long, who stated that before the dairymen get that increase they will be compelled to ask for more. 275 276 276 Mayor Miller then asked if there were any present who opposed the increase of one cent per quart, and there being none, then stated that the City Council, having been duly advised by everyone present that everyone is in favor of the one cent per quart increase, would do everything possible to get the Office of Price Administration to put this price into effect as soon as possible. Mrs. Alfred Taylor then made a motion that this group also go on record as making the request through the proper channels, perhaps through Senator Brownlee's report, to the effect that we are desirous of having the feed situation investigated, not only from the angle of the present relation of cost, but also from the angle of supplying the dairymen with sufficient feed with no further increase in cost. No vote was taken on the above motion, and the meeting was then recessed at 10:45 P. M., subject to call of the Mayor. ATTEST: OITY CLERK APPROVA Jon Milla. MAYOR