Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-04-09
MAYORS MESSAGE.
To THE COMMON COUNcIL or THE INCOH.
f PORATED VILLAGE OF AsHTABULA:

ment Of the condition Of public affairs.
and make such recommendation for the
future as shall seem TO him best calculated
10 promote the public welfare.
In compliance with this provision of the
law ! herewith submit tor your cOnsidera-
ton a statement Of the financial condition
Of the village together with such sugges-
tions Of future public policy as seem 70
me worthy Of your careful consideration.
Two years ago, when ! assumed the
duties Of Mayor the outstanding bonded
debt Of the village was as follows;
Bonds Issued for purchase Of fire steam
Bonds issued In 1870 TO fund floating
debt, and termed Centennial Bonds. 6 300
Making a total bonded debt OF 50 GOD
During the years OF 1878 and 1879 there
has been paid on the principal Of
this debt the sum of........-..-.---.-..S3 OF. .S3 800
Leaving present bonded debt at % 900
There has also been paid during the two
past years the sum Of 81 1876 of interest
upon the bonds, making total payments on
account of bonded debt 81 G95.
l regard any undertaking which in
wolves an expenditure beyond the tax lev
led by the then Council with very grave
doubts Of its wisdom, and believe il should
never be resorted TO except under very ex-
treme and urgent necessity. Its effect up
on the public morals, and its tendency by
high taxation to keep away capital are
very strong arguments against its adOp-
tiun at any time. During the past two
years two bonds have been issued, of 800
each, for sidewalk purposes. One of them
has been paid, and the other soon will be
from special tax on the property abuttlng
and adjoining the improvement.
All improvements Of the nature of grad
ing, paving, sewerage, or of like character,
which are nearly or wholly local in their
benefits, should be paid for by the proper
ty Immediately benefited The genera
street fund should be used solely to build
and. keep in reasonable condition such
roads as the public as a whole may re
quire. Anything beyond this constitutes
a legitimate charge against the abutting
and adjoining property which is benefited
thereby. Whenever il is. fully understood
that this is the settled policy of the Coun-
ell, there will be less clamoring by local
interests for the lions share of the public
fund
Year after year, and by Council after
Council, have some of our streets been
surveyed, partial and often unwise and i'm.
practicable grades liked, without due con
sideration, and often without having any
map or profile made and placed on record
and no fixed monuments planted so every
year OF two new surveys have to be made,
and additional expense incurred TO be paid
out Of the taxes already grown burden
some. 1t would seem high time that this
tempOrizing was stopped by intelligent
and well-considered action on the part of
the Council. Let there be connected
survey and profile of the grade made for
our principal streets, and placed on per-
manent record, permanent monuments
planted, and settled purpose be adopted
in the matter ofstTeet and sidewalk grades,
and made so plain that new survey will
not be necessary every time a sidewalk is
laid down or ditch is to be opened.
The matter ola township and city hall
has agitated the public mind more or less
for several years only care at this time
to notice an idea which seems to have
some advocates II is that the township
shall raise by township tax certain sum,
the village by village tax raise an equal
amount or more, and the two unite in the
erection Of Il building for the use of both
township and village. The township as
such, some years ago, built town hall ;
but its location was not satisfactory, and
after few years it was sold for other pur-
poses. With this exception, the village
has, at its own cost and expense Except a
very small sum for repaiTs), furnished a
| place for thehOlding of township elections
| from its earliest organization as town
! ship up TO the present time and whenever
| the township trustees levy township tax
| for building town hall, that levy reaches
and touches all the property in the vii.
| lage as well as township; and as mat
| ter of fact, the property within the village
! limits pays more than threefourths of the
| tax. The village is making many and
| costly improvements in which the town
ship and the surrounding country are
deeply interested, and which add TO the
| desiribility and value of the property all
about us, towards which 1t contributes
nothing in the way of taxes This being
the case, docs not equal justice to all re
quire that the township Furnish the means
4 to build, at such time as may be advisable
a suitable building for the Joint use and
accommodation Of both township and vii
lage2 H.. . .. b.a.
The Strengthening, widening and deep
ening the river channel at the Harbor
while it is strictly a local matter and mus
be paid by a tax on village property only
1 does, nevertheless, benefit large section
| of the surrounding country, which con
tributes nothing whatever towards the ex
pense Most Of our people are familiar
with the history Of this undertaking, anC
know of the obstacles that have so far de
layed its completion. Three years age
this past winter the Legislature passed &
law, by virtue Of which, on vote of two
thirds of the people, bonds might be is
sued Tor the purpose of making the i'm
provement An election was held, and
the proposition failed to receive the re
uuisite tWo-thirds. The matter rested
quietly, while public opinion was slowly
but surely changing. In the spring o
| 1879, the Council levied tax of four anC
one-tenth millsifor haTbor improvement
/ and in August proceedings were had t
appropriate the lands it was intended
should be dredged out The award of the
Jury, including compensation for land
and damages, amounted TO S3,012.70. Or
the 9th Of February last, having realized
from the tax before mentioned sufficen
sum, the village paid into court the am
of the award and became possessed of tn
land The balance of taxes, which will bt
collected this summer and paid into thu
village treasury in August next, will
reach something over two Thousand dol
lars Out of tins will have to be paid tn
costs ofcourt, The balance of attorney fees
and the expense Of removing the store oC
cupied by j S. O'Neill, all of which, az
cording TO the best estimates that can b
made, win amount to about eight hundre
dollars, leaving about twelve hundred do
lars available for dredging. Action ha
already been taken by the Council to al
ticipate the August collection by the issu
Of bonds, payable September LIST, 1880, an