The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-07-25
COMMISSIONERS STATEMENT
Containing q Review of tho
Court House Matter,
And Statements Of Expendi-
lures Of County Funds,

And Statements Of Expendi-
lures Of County Funds,
With Estimates Of the Whole
Cost of the Buildings.
The undersigned Commissioners of
Silver BOW County having submit
ted to the voters and taxpayers OF
the county a proposition authorizing
them to issue county bonds, to the
amount of one hundred thousand dol
lars, in order to complete the Court
House and Jail already begun, deem
it proper and due alike to themselves
and the people of the county to sub
NIT the following statement of facts
and figures, that all may act intelli-
gently on the question Of granting or
refusing to grant the authority to
issue said bonds. In the statement it
is deemed unnecessary to say any
thing in regard to the advantage to
the county of having a Court House
and Jail of its own and suitable to the
public wants. The inconvenience
and unsuitableness of the present ar
rangement are patent to every one,
and it was adopted only as a temper
airy expedient, to be done away with
as OOn as the county could erect
buildings of its own.
Soon after this was decided on. the
Commissioners obtained from Thos.
B. Amman, an experienced architect
of st. Louis,the plan of a Court House
and jail which they deemed in all
respects suitable and which when
complete would be an ornament to
the city. The estimate made by Mr..
Amman of the cost of the building in
Guiding the Jail. from such data as
could be given IN regard to the labor
and materials, was ninety thousand
dollars. This estimate was for the
cost of the buildings only, and did
not include the cost of the lots, or
the furniture and equipment of the
Court House or Jail. In view of the
fact that the county was at the time
free from debt, and that the property
assessment for 1882 was in round
numbers six million dollars, the Com
missioners did not deem it an extrav-
agant Or unwise use Of the public
money to construct substantial coun-
ty buildings at a cost Of one hundred
thousand dollars. They accordingly
selected a suitable aud spacious site
desirably located, for which they paid
ten thousand dollars, and began the
construction after the plan furnish
ed by MI. Amman.
In excavating for the foundation,
the ground was found to be loose and
c%rumbling, and this created the ne
fst deeper than 6 was in n
tended, which increased by about
six thousand dollars, the cost of the
| foundation as estimated by the archi-
tect. In addition the Commissioners
have contracted for steel cells, doors,
window guards, etc for the Jail at a
cost of $~17,460.5O. These are of the
latest construction and will last as
long as the building itself, and by the
security they will afford will mate
terially lessen the expense of the
| county in guarding prisoners confined
In Jail. The additional expense of
the Foundation and the equipment of
the Jail will increase the cost of the
buildings in their completed state by
about $23,5OO.
Another expense which it is proper
to mention and which was not IN
cluded in the original estimate was
| the price to be paid to an architect to
| superintend the construction of the
| buildings. The Commissioners have
employed Mr.. Roberts, a competent
person, for that purpose, and have
agreed to pay him an amount equal
to 4 per Get. of the cost of the build
1ngs. The undersigned subjoin
two statements, the first show
! ing the cost of the labor
| and materials contracted for by them,
amounting to $62,55O. of which
| amount the sum of $25,478 has been
paid, leaving a balance for which the
county is liable of $37,O72. It is
| proper to add that if the construction
of the building is abandoned for the
| present season only, there will be no
inconsiderable loss in the waste of
| the brick which have been delivered,
and in damage to the foundation by
| the action of the elements. What
| this loss will be the Commissioners
have no means of estimating.
In justice to themselves the Com
missioners state that in all contracts
made by them for material they have
uniformly made the contracts to the
lowest bidder after inviting compe-
tition, and in this way it is believed
they have secured all material at the
| lowest rates.
After a careful estimate of the ad-
ditional cost # completing the build
ings according to the present plans,
! the Commissioners place the amount
at $4,000, thus making the entire
cost Sl32. $50, and that sum includes
! the furnishing and all requirements
for the Court House and Jail. While
this is more than was originally
| contemplated, it has been caused
principally by the increased cost of
the foundation and the equipment Of
the Jail already mentioned, and prob
ably from the imposslbility of fore
seeing and estimating in advance the
cost of buildings 50 extensive as
these. While the cost is large, the
Commissioners believe that the ex-
cellence and convenience of the
buildings in their completed state,
not to speak of their appearance and
adornment to the city, will justify
the outlay in the plan of payment
proposed, which by being extended
over a series of years wills make the
burden of payment comparatively
light. and they respectfully submit
that it will in the end be more eco-
nomical even than to continue in
definitely the present incenvenient
arrangement.
In this connection it is proper to
call public attention to the second Of
the statements herewith pub
lished, showing that the county under
the present arrangement is subjected
to an expense of over $4,000. in pro-
curing court rooms, offices, etc., and
in paying for extra guards at the Jail
rendered necessary by its insecurity
Leaving out of view the unsuitable
ness and inconvenien &c of the pres
ent District Court room and the
County Recorders and Sheriff's Of
fees, the cost to the county is greater
by more than $1,000 than the interest
would be on the additional sum re-