The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-12-28
ABOUT WATER TAXES.
SALT LAKE CITY. December q 1s7

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To the Editor CT THE HERALD:
VIII you be kind enough to give, if you can a
definite answer to the following question,
through your valuable paper, as it will be appre
ciated by great many living in different parts
OF the city:
Are property owners compelled to pay for the
laying Ct the water mains abutting on their prop.
erty months prior to the laying of those mains:
Or are they at liberty to pay for the laying of
the mains when this work is completed?
In my estimation the ordinance compelling
property owners to pay for laying the water
mains abutting on their property was u very I'M
wise piece of legislation; because The waller
mains are not private property and should be
laid by the city, the property owners merely
paying for the water they rec Give each year;
that is so far rs the mains are concerned.
But 10 still add 10 the injustice by compelling
people 10 pay for the laying of those mains,
probably months before the pipes are even
shipped to the territory, seems to me to be
simply outrageous. A SUBSCRIBER.
Property owners must pay the tax at the
time designated by their notice, unless
they can go into court and withstand its
collection.
Taxes must be paid some time, and it is
not popularity of the water main tax
that is paid before the completion or even
the commencement of the work for which
| the tax is levied. Nearly all taxes are paid
in advance of their expenditure the only
exception being in the case of bonded in
debtedness. In this case the improvement
is made before the money is collected, and
the tax is levied to pay off the debt
/ Ia ,ry;t
the present method OF taxation for water
mains is an unjust one not only because oil
paying for a certain piece of work before
the work is performed, as that is an Incl
dent common to most forms of taxation
but because the water main tax is grossly
unequal. The property owners for year
past have had to bear the entire expense Of
laying the mains, while formerly this wa:
a general expense, borne by the city a
large.
1t is also true that the watermains are
not considered private property by the city
although the property owner buys them a
full price and pays in full to the city cor
poratiop every cent Of the cost of laying
them. The city government, too. like any
making an honest penny out of the tax
payers, and manages to clear margin O.
profit on the mains it lays. This would
not be specially Objectionable were it no
for that other little fact, viz: That THU
contractor, the city, owns the mains afte
each property owner has bought them anG
paid all the expenses of laying them.
But this ownership of the mains is a
small matter compared with the allege,
ownership of the water by the city. For.
merly, individuals owned it, Then tn,
city assessed these individuals for tn,
money to put the water into pipes. ant
after that the city owned, as it CLAIMS. no
only the pipes but the water also. Ant
from that day to this, the city has fine,
every man who uses the water, making hin
pay from s. to $40 and upwards each yea,
for that offense
By this devious means of acquiring tn
ownership of the water that flows through
this city, the corporation is enabled to Der
form another great act. The city can nov
run the water mains away out to the new
additions on the east bench, and thus double
and quadruple the value of property there
to the certain detriment of inside propert,
unless the supply of water shall be great,
increased, which is very unlikely from
present appearances.
We do not desire to be understood as Old
posing the laying of the water mains to an,
and all parts of this city. We merely crit
else the method recently adopted, and tn
assumption of city ownership of the water
The former objection is to the injustice O
unequal taxation; the latter is urged il
order to condemn fraud in the distribution
of the water, or to prevent, if possible, tn
sale of the water to private corporation
as the council has several times contem
plated doing.
Our correspondent will have to pay hi
tax at the time specified, unless he cal
| make other arrangements with the collec