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Show Mill BURKE TOx QUIT CITTS SERVICE Assessor of Water Rates Resigns;- Will Go When Successor Is Chosen. SALARY IS IGNORED Action Follows Failure of Commission to Raise Pay for Office. IMartin A. Burke, for six and one-half one-half years assesor of water rates for Salt Lake OHy, has resigned. V. The city commission ignored Mr Burko in ils revision upward of the salary schedule. During his years of service to the ?ity Mr. Burke has enjoyed the title of assessor of water rates, and. has attended at-tended to the duties of both assessor and collector, though the ordinance provides pro-vides that the collections shall be made through the treasurer's office. 4.t the beginning of this year the commision listened to Mr. Burke's heretofore here-tofore ignored plea that he be allowed to reassess the city -with regard to water wa-ter services. An appropriation of $2500 was voted to cover the cost. Mr. Burke, used $S30 of the amount, and by the reassessment got the city $BS00 increase in water rate revenues. 1-or this he was at the time commended by Com-missioner Com-missioner G. Clarence Neslen, head of the department, speaking in a session of tho commission. When it was known that the commission com-mission contemplated a revision of the salary schedule Mr. Burke requested consideration of his case. He asked for an increase from $175 to $2o0 a month, or such increase as the commission commis-sion might deem commensurate with the quality of his service. He was neglected neg-lected during the proceedings that resulted re-sulted in raises for the chief of police, the chief of the fire department, the supervisor of streets, the superintendent superintend-ent of parks, the city sexton and practically prac-tically everyone under them. Ho promptly submitted to Commissioner JJeslon his resignation, to take effect as soon as his place could be filled. Does Ail Collecting. At the time of tho reorganization of the city -commission the first of the year, ifr. Burke had reason to believe that his services would be recognized. Since he had been doing the collecting as well as the assessing of water rates, he expected with assurance that he would be given a department divf?Nj, entailing the joint duties. The adjuti'1., ment was not made. In making his application to the commission com-mission for an increase in salary at this time, Mr. Burke stated that in the six and one-half years he had conducted j the assessing and collecting of wat rates, the cash revenue had increased $70,000 over the standard of collections for the previous corresponding period. ' He called attention to the fact that for the last our years he had collected from 97 to 99 per cent of the water rates. He pointed out that his work included the assessment and collection of all flat rates and all meter rates, involving in-volving the handling of 40,000 accounts and the collection of them all. At the close of the water year of 1917 and 191S, June 30, Mr. Burke reported re-ported 97 per cent of both fl3t and meter rates collected, without penalizing any water user by cutting off service. This involved handling 36,800 accounts and the receiving of $311,800. These il: x i ti i. n . 3 i.: a : uiimga ivr. jurive lauea aitcuwun 1.0 m requesting that he be given recognition for the work he has long done as water rate collector in addition to his duties as water rate assessor, for which duties he is officially recognized and paid. Is Lauded in Report. Following is an excerpt from the report re-port of the waterworks department for the year 1915: The foregoing statement, headed . "Assessments aifd Collections," shows the splendid work of the water wa-ter rates assessor, Mr. Burke. The year 1915 being a remarkably remark-ably dry year, it was necessary for the assessor to use a good deal of discretion in the enforcement of the payment of rates. It was also necessary to use the employees who were under the direction of Mr. Burke for the purpose of inspection and the prevention of unnecessary waste of water, consequently the percentage of rates collected up to January 1 was not as large as during dur-ing the three previous years. However, How-ever, it is also shown by this report re-port that 9S per cent of the rates duo prior to June 30, 1915, were j collected. This is a remarkable showing, and, in my opinion, do-' serves the highest commendation. These, results have been obtained with a minimum of inconvenience to the people, the percentage of shutoffa having been so small that they were insignificant. Seasonable Season-able requests for extensions of time by responsible parties have never been refused; id fact, it has been the constant endeavor of this department de-partment to obtain results with tho least possible inconvenience to the public. |