[Identification of item], La Crosse, Wisconsin, Common Council Records, La Crosse Series 009, La Crosse Public Library Archives, La Crosse, WI
La Crosse Series 9 includes Common Council proceedings, ordinances and City Charter, City finances and additional related items.
Found in the Common Council proceedings are the published proceedings for June 1919-May 1920, and May 1920-April 1921. Both booklets have the proceedings for each monthly meeting of the Common Council and list the City officials for that time. The June 1919-May 1920 proceedings include monthly reports from the Health Department and reports on employment for various occupations in the La Crosse area. The May 1920-April 1921 proceedings contain extra material on the history of La Crosse.
Included is a portrait photograph of Mayor Arthur A. Bentley and three photographs of his fourth inauguration on April 19, 1921, as well as photographs of other city officials, and a copy of Bentley’s fourth inauguration address. There is also a list of all previous mayors and the important officials that served during each mayor’s term, a list of members of the La Crosse Fire Department since 1856, a list of La Crosse postmasters since 1844 and members of the Board of Health since its beginning in 1910. Also included is an article entitled La Crosse in the Beginning, which includes a brief history of La Crosse and many “firsts” in the city, an analysis of city budgets from 1915-1921, and an annual report from the Health Department for 1920 giving the number of births, deaths and marriages, for that year.
An 1858 publishing of the Act to Incorporate the City of La Crosse is included in the ordinances and city charter section. Also included in that publication are some amendments to the Act, rules of the Common Council, and the first 46 ordinances of La Crosse. There is an 1891 publication of amendments to the City Charter and ordinances 122-205. There are four supplements of ordinances in this section listing ordinances 520-881.
The city finance section contains a report on an audit done in 1908 on the City accounts by J. Gordon Steele & Co., an accounting firm from Minneapolis. The report includes the city’s general revenue and expenses. Also included are salaries for city officials and a list of insurance policies held by the city in 1909. Also found in this section is a six page letter to the mayor from the city Comptroller submitting a detailed statement of the revenue needed to run the city in 1920. There is also a publication of assessments for 1920-1921 of all real estate in La Crosse. The assessed property is listed by plat, addition or subdivision. Along with the assessments is a 1921 City budget showing the amount raised by taxes verses other income.
The additional related items consist of a semi-bound volume entitled Council Matters that includes resolutions passed by the City Council, proclamations by the mayor, petitions submitted to the City and a few ordinances. This information covers approximately the years 1915-1919. Also included is an annual report from the City Recreation Department for 1944-1945. It gives results of various recreational activities, lists Recreation Department personnel, current aldermen, Board of Education members, Board of Vocational & Adult Education, Board of Park Commissioners, Citizens Advisory Committee and various athletic and youth organizations.
