1923 Kearney City Ordinances
(First, some background)
1922 Kearney City Directory
Election 1stTue of April in odd years
City council meets on the 1st & 3rd Monday
Commission form of government adopted 7-11-1916, organized April, 1917
Offices:
Mayor
Clerk/Treasurer (one person was allowed to hold both positions)
Police Magistrate [also referred to as the police judge]
Water Commissioner [Great Gildersleeve on Fibber McGee & Molly]
/Building & Sewer Inspector
City Engineer
City Attorney
Chief of Police
City Physician
Street Commissioner
City Librarian
Hosp-Asylums-Homes
Dominican Sisters home was on 3rd floor
of St. James School
TB Hospital
St. Luke’s Hospital – 1802 1st Ave
1924 Kearney City Directory
Estimated population 12,585
Hosp-Asylums-Homes
Dominican Sisters Home – 3rd floor St.
James School
Good Samaritan Hospital
TB Hospital
St. Luke’s Hospital
Mother Hull Home, Inc.
Kearney General Hospital – 103 W 22nd (Dr. Johnson’s)
1923 City Ordinances
(random entries)
General Elections to be on the 1st Tue of April annually
Elective positions at large
Mayor
Clerk Treasurer (one person could be
both)
Water Commissioner
Elective positions by Ward
2 City Councilmen from each–1 elected
each year for 2-year term to stagger terms
Board of Education
2 members elected each year to serve
3-year terms = 6 members on board
Election judges & clerks paid $3
City government
Council met on 1st Tue after election to organize and select a Council
President who would act for the Mayor if he was absent.
Met on 1st & 3rd Monday
Mayor, with Council approval, made appointments:
City Engineer
City Attorney
Street Commissioner
Chief of Police
City Physician
Truck Driver
Custodian of City Hall
Police Chief
As many police officers as Mayor & Council think are needed
Mayor could call up as many men ages
18-50 as needed to maintain peace
($3/day)
Anyone arrested appeared immediately
before the Police Judge unless it was night, then the person spent the
night in jail. Police Judge was paid $600/year
City Physician
Member of the Board of Health and performed
duties in connection with that board. Also
(1) if someone was injured where
there might be liability by the city, he was to investigate the extent of
the injury and interview any persons who might have personal knowledge of
the matter.
(2) For purposes of checking health
conditions of property and its occupants, he could enter “at all seasonable
hours
Board of Health
5 members - Mayor, Council President, City
Physician, Chief of Police, 1 mayor appointment
All doctors had to report contagious
diseases & identify the family.
If the Mayor learned of a case of
cholera, smallpox, diptheria or other disease of like virulence and danger,
he was to call a meeting of the Board of Health.
If
they found that it was liable to spread, they could set up a pest house in
an isolated spot either inside or outside city limits where persons could be
cared for.
If it looked like an isolated case
they could quarantine the house.
In either case only the doctor and
those caring for the sick could enter and all others had to stay at least
200 feet away.
Anyone exposed to the disease could
be quarantined also.
Responsible for identifying and
causing to clean up any accumulations of filth in the city, especially if
there was danger of contaminating a well or cistern.
Could order the cleaning of any
vault, cesspool, privy, wall, excavation cellar or other structure emitting
a noxious odors or gases. If the city had to do it, the owner would be
charged.
Illegal to sell or keep for sale decayed, decomposed or partly decomposed
fruits and vegetables. Mayor could appoint someone or have a member of the
police force inspect booths, stores and shops.
Fire Hazards –
Open burning – not allowed if
dangerous to the property of others.
No wood buildings in downtown area –
basically from 26th to the railroad, 1st to A
No lumber yards in that district
unless in a brick building
If a wood building within the
district was damaged to 20% of its value it was to be removed.
Fire chief, his foreman, mayor,
policeman, could call on licensed drayman or any citizen with team to help
pull fire equipment to or from a fire. Refusal – fine $10-$100
Duty of fire chief to annually visit
and inspect every house and all buildings in the city where fire is used.
Report any problems to the Mayor. If the owner does not make corrections,
city will and charge owner. And can be fined $10-$100
Looters to be fined $10-$100 and stay
in jail until the fine is paid.
City Cemetery –
Cemetery Board – 6 members appointed by the mayor with Council approval
Residents of the city “and may be
male or female”
Serve 3-year terms “serve without pay
and shall have the entire management and control of the cemetery”
Tax levy for general upkeep
Board responsible for keeping record of lot sales
“Potters Field” to be renamed “North Field”
Owners of lots bought without perpetual care were billed $4/year for care of
lot
Lots in old area cost $40 without/$75
with perpetual care
Anyone owning lots in old part could
pay $65 and get perpetual care
All lots in new part $100 and have perpetual care
Peace & Order –
Unlawful to engage in loud, boisterous, hallowing, or make loud or unusual
noise or quarrel, curse, swear or user obscene or indecent language
“Section 5. It shall be unlawful for any person or persons within the
corporate limits of the City of Kearney to wantonly or prankishly daub or
mark the windows of others with soap or other substance, or remove signs,
overturn out buildings, ground swings, or in any manner disturb or molest
any property of another at any time, whether it be Halloween or other festal
time, or occasion. It is hereby made the special duty of the Mayor to
rigidly enforce the provisions of this section of this ordinance.”
Streets –
No posts on Central Ave – sign, hitching, telephone, telegraph,
or other obstructions
No itinerant sales on Central from 20th to 24th Street
No on can orate, harangue, lecture, preach, causing a crowd that
would interrupt traffic on the sidewalk or street
Snow removed within an hour after it stops snowing or b 9 a.m.
Can’t throw it in street
No ashes, leaves, straw, hay, manure, brush, grass, slops,
garbage, refuse or rubbish left in the street
Street Commissioner to arrange for weekly inspection of streets
& alleys
Can’t dump wash water or dish water out in street
All sidewalks from now on cement. Included repaired as well as
new.
Vehicles & Street Traffic –
Keep to the right, pass on the left
Don’t back up to the curb unless loading or unloading
Speed limit in alleys and congested areas 10 mph, in noncongested areas 15
Does not apply to fire department equipment
Turning corners 6 mph
Parking spaces in center of Central from 18th-25th Street, on A & 1st
20-24th Street
Water –
Minimum charge $1.25/mo, then 10 cents/100 cubic feet.
10 cents discount to all paying at office of Water Commissioner within 10
days of due date
Slaughter Houses –
(none listed in 1922 City Directory but there
5 meat markets on Central & 4 in 1924)
Had to be along the north channel of
the Platte
Had to be kept clean so there was no
smell
Wash the blood with water into the
“said channel”
Bury bones, heads, hides, etc. with
quick lime
Inspection at least once a week by
the Sewer Inspector
Animals –
Can’t run at large or pasture them in the street, cemetery, park or public
place
Pound Master got $1 for each animal.
Residents could impound animals also.
Pound Master could sell an animal if
not claimed in 5-10 days to pay for the expense of keeping it. Left over
money went to the city
Dogs – Must have a license tag - $1
male, $3 female
Domestic Fowls – Running at large –
Can’t except in areas used for agriculture and not in areas marked off in
blocks.
Bawdy Houses –
“unlawful for any person or
persons to erect, establish, conduct, keep, maintain, own, use, or lease any
building, room, tent, or other structure” within city limits for “purpose of
lewdness, assignation or prostitution”
Unlawful to run such a house….
Unlawful for anyone to live in a
bawdy house or house of prostitution.
Unlawful to permit a prostitute or
lewd woman to visit his room or lodging place
Unlawful “for any woman to solicit,
invite or permit any man to visit her room or lodging place in the night
time for the purpose of sexual intercourse.” [what about daytime?]
Fined $10-$100 and stay in jail until
the fine is paid
Policemen had to report violations to
Police Judge or be fined $25
All existing business were declared a
nuisance and had to close.
Couldn’t run a business within 3
miles of city limits.
Some Other topics –
Intoxicating liquors – drunkenness (prohibition was the law at
this time)
Gambling
Auctioneers, peddlers, hawkers (prob. still on the books but
updated, corner sales)
Firecrackers – fire works (still there but updated also)
Pawnbrokers
Clairvoyants – Fortune Telling
Vagrants – Tramps (used to be a big problem – riding the rails)
Keeping lots and lands free from weeds (definitely still there)
Fire escapes
Merchandising after April 1st with Stock not Listed for Taxation
Using water in times of fire --- don’t - to keep pressure up
City prisoners – Labor on streets
#44 Town Herd
Street sprinkling (not so many streets paved in 1923)
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