Telegram-herald., 1891-09-04
PRICE FIVE CENTS
oev is is That ths Cssy Pays 90 NseA
lssessss-systsnasie Neglect


nev is is rAss tAe Cssy Pays 90 Mech
lsssrsss-sysssnasie Negises
Bdites Is1seaAs HxsxIps
In your Issue Of Thursday yen have
an article that indicates . desire 10
tind out why IL Is that the General
Fund OF the city is taxed 10 heavily
20 pay interest ON orders Issued. TO
pay for local improvements to meet
which there is no money in the special
funds There Is not an official In the
tty hall connected with the assessment
and collection OF local assessments,
from the mayor down. but knows just
where the trouble IL
The mayor has made an effort to
correct the evil. but has not struck ut
the root Of the matter. Primarily the
aldermen are 10 blame. in that no
movement IL made toward doing what
may be considered necessary In the
way OF sewers and street improve
ments In any given year until the new
council organizes, the first Monday in
May. and then the rush begins, load
ing the Board OF Review" with more
work than they can do promptly In
the limited hours they devote TO their
duties. Then again. two or three
times yearly, the hoard is engaged
sometimes two or three weeks at the
meetings OF the Board OF Supervisors
when no city work Is done.
After a careful consideration OF the
Improvements that may be absolutely
necessary, the council should devote
the winter 10 the preliminary work.
and then the tax rolls would be ready
for collection as the work progresses.
and the money would be ready 10 meet
the orders given the contractors he
lore the expiration OF the four months
when they begin TO draw interest.
Nothing has been more common here
tofore than for the aldermen in their
respective wards to systematically
neglect having districts designated TO
be assessed for local improvements. OF
course, the longer the day of payment
can BE- postponed the better the alder
manic constituents like IL. but in the
meantime the orders are safely slowed
away by those who have money TO
lend, and the general fund suffers City
Treasurer Hake says there are $4,000
oil these orders now drawing inteest.
and lot more that began to draw
September 1.
Even after the rolls are returned TO
the council by the Board of Review,
there Is much of unnecessary dely. A
roll 10 reported TO the council and
1t goes on the table one week for the
purpose OF hearing appeals against
alleged unequal Assessments. A spec
Tall committee is appointed TO con-
sider appeals, and then the fun
commences. At the next meet
ing of the council one man. sell
dom more, appeals. His appeal
Is referred to the special com
mittee, and 1t, with the roll,
goes on the table another week
for hearing further appeals. The next
week another man appeals, and IL IL
amusing TO see with what alaerity
the alderman o! that ward moves,
that the appeal be referred to the
special committee having the matter
in charge and that the roll lie on the
table another week for the purpose OF
hearing further appeals" And so IL
goes on week after week. and In the
meantime the interest on the orders is
working nights and Sundays, to be
paid out of the general fund. There
should be a rule that IL appellants did
not appear Ia ten days after the notice
that the roll was in the hands of the
council they should be barred. The
joke is apparant when we see that
after all these appeals and delays,
Few or no changes are made in rolls,
but time has been gained by those who
have the tax 90 pay. Under this lax
way OF doing business North College
ave., from Bridga{st. north to cty
limits through the Fourth and Fifth
wards and costing $50. 900. was fin
ished and in use a year or more before
much OF the tax was collected. the as
phalt paving on Canal. between Lyon
and Bridge. has been in use since the
fall of 1890 and the interest on the
orders issued TO pay for IL was not
stopped by payment until eight
months aftcrward. and the roll for the
expensive pavement OF West Fulton
was not ratified by the council until
last Monday night. although the street
was finished last fall.
No movement has been made that
L have noticed toward paying for the
asphalt pavement on the south end OF
Canal-st. or the expensive work being
done on Pearl, Monroe. WATERLOO,
State and Jeffersonlave.. and the prob
ability is that large amount of or
dcrs will coon be issued to commence
drawing interest in due time. The
city will keep about even rs TO interest
on those streets that are being inn
proved under the bonding scheme. but
the other improvements viii go in the
odd fashion unless those whose duty
1t is, attend TO their business better.
EX-AJ HERMAN