The record-union., 1891-06-02
BONDS FOR REVENUE.
Citizens Who Think 100000 Should
be Spent on Leyees.
II. Weinstock Supplements This with
Proposition to Raise $4,000
for Various Purposes.

before the Board of City Trustees yester-
day to urge that certain improvements be
made to the leyees.
Mr.. Wheeler said: II wish to say,
gentlemen, that the levee question is the
most important one to the city. The
levees should be raised and strengthened.
There isn't a business man but who had
better draw his check for a large sum
than to have the constant scare that is
caused when the waters are high"
Mr.. Weinstock then read q report from
the Citizens Association, embodying sug-
gestions made by the subcommittee
which recently inspected the levees in
conjunction with the City Trustees. The
report reads:
THE committee appointed by your
body on the matter of levees, beg leave to
report that in company with the City
Trustees and members of the Board Of
Trade, they have carefully inspected the
ievee system surrounding our city, and
now respectfully submit the following as
the result Of their inspection:
Your committee found the north and
east levees in excellent condition, and
apparently strong enough to withstand
any probable high water, though there
are some who believe that the north leyee
from Front to Sixth streets should be
materially raised They also found that
much excellent work had been done by
the City Trustees during the past season,
in strengthening the Front-street levee
from q to Il streets, and at the foot OF w
street, by system Of riprapping with
granite.
while the work done in riprapping
Front street is excellent as far as it goes
1t IS very important that this work be
continued until all Of Front street is pro-
Il fh.Ac
west end of the Y-street levee, which is
believed to be the weakest point in our
levee system.
Hour committee recommends that the
raising of the Front-street Ieyee at least
four feet, be strongly urged upon the city
authorities. They recommend this meas
ure for the reason that it is highly proba-
bic the \ oiO IeVees viii, in the near
future, be materially raised and strength
ened, in which event our safety depends
almost entirely upon prOpOrtionately
raising the present hight of the Front
street levees.
1T is recommended that the Y-street
levee at the junction Of the Front-street
Ieyee, be made Of equal hight with the
tront-street levee, the grade gradually
falling from this point until it reaches the
present grade at the City Cemetery.
1T is estimated that to fully carry out
the plan as recommended above, namely:
rlprapping the remainder of Front street,
raising the front leYee four feet and the y
street Ievee to correspond, would involve
an outlay about as follows: Riprapping re-
mainder Of Front street, estimated cost,
$4,000 raising Front street from Y to /
streets four feet, estimated cost, $4,000;
raising Y-street levee from Front to
Tenth, estimated cost. SIC, 600, making in
all about SlG0,000 The judicious expend-
lture Of this sum would at once place the
city beyond ali probable danger aud re-
Of the city against food.
The most business like policy for the
city TO pursue, in the opinion of your
committee, would be to issue bonds to
the amount OF 100000, and to expend this
amount at once in the perfecting Of our
IeFee system. The removal Of all fear
from flood on the part of our people, and
the feeling Of perfect security that such a
policy would be certain to establish
would soon demonstrate this to be the
WISest and most economic measure 10
follow. Should the issuance of bonds to
the amount of 100000 for any reason be
deemed undesirable, or impracticable,
the next best plan TO be followed, in the
opinion OF your committee, is for the city
authorities to levy an annual tax for
levee purposes that VIII give a fund of no
less than $4,000 each year, SO that all
work recommended in this report may be
completed within at least five years.
In this event 1t Is recommended that
for the first year the riprapping on Front
street be completed from T to streets,
and the levee between the same streets be
raised and widened as far as the funds
will permit.
From an economic standpoint, this
Tiprapping is considered quite important.
Tor the reason that as soon as the work
now progressing at Folsom dam is COM
pleted the rock used for riprapping pur-
poses, which is now to be had at a nom
u4Va..n NIL -
add materially to the cost OF the work
The work for the second and follow
ing years should consist in completing
that portion Ofthe Eront-Street Ieyee from
q to streets and III Strengthening the
Y-street leyee. The final work should
consist in raising the remainder of the
1-street and the remainder of the Front
street leyees from q TO | streets.
The committee learns that at present
there IS no available money in the leYee
fund, this years tax levee having been
anticipated by contracts let last summer
for riprapping the front levee
1T is deemed quite important. how
ever, that the city authorities proceed at
once 10 let farther contracts for the con
tinuatiOn of this work as recommended
above Should the plan of issuing bonds
to the amount of $1,000 fail TO meet with
favor then contracts for the continuation
OF this work TO the amount of at least
$4,000 should be let at once and a special
tax be levied, or fpossible the bills made
payable the coming year.
1T is recommended that as soon as the
city authorities decide to enter into con
tracts for the continuation of the leyee
work already done. that committees from
this body and from the Board of Trade be
appointed TO act in conjunction with the
City Trustees and TO wait upon the rail
road officials and request them TO raise
thelr railway tracks along Front street TO
correspond with the proposed new grade
IN 1850 the tax rate for leyee purposes
was IL cents on the 800: in 1891 the tax
rate for IeNee purposes was 10 cents on
the 500 Should the city issue bonds to
the amount of 100000 payable in twenty
years at per cent. interest, the tax rate
Tor levee purposes would be about three
cents on a Si00 for interest and about
three cents on 500 for refunding. max
ing in all about six cents on n 500 aside
from tritling additional rate for repairs,
as against 10 cent rate in 1891 and a
II cent rate in 1880, and against a ii cent
rate If $4,000 a year is TO be raised for
partial work
The city by this plan would fmmedi-
ately enjoy the benefit of the fullest pro-
lection against all probable danger from
flood instead of being obliged to wait
years before our entire levee system will
be made equally safe and equally inn
pregnable and ut n far lesser tax rate than
by any other system.
FOR these reasons the plan of issuing
bonds to the amount of Sl0O, coo for levee
purposes strongly commends itself to the
commltiee ana IS deemed worthy of most
serious consideration"
AZ the conclusion of the reading of the
report Mr. Weinstocll addressed the
board on the subject. He spoke of tho
great natural advantages enjoyed by
Sacramento as a commercial center, and