The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-07-25
Submitted by the Committee on Road
Tax to the Board Of
Trade.
Decided Action to be Takpn-NlOre
Circulars "FrOm Mine
to Mint"

L lcSluclll blDSOH. Inc nllnutp vert
read and approved. After this the COM
mittee on road tax was called on and
submitted the following report:
TO the Board of Trade, Great Falls:
Your committee on roads to whom was
referred the matter of road taxes for the
city have diligently Investigated the
matter and find, to our surprise. that
during the whole term of the existence
of the city government, now going into
the fourth year, the taxpayers have been
paying a heavy adj valorem road tax each
year: that not a cent of it has been en-
pended in the city and but a very small
part of it or the roads in the vicinity. and
that during part of this time the special
road tax collected from the residents of
our city has not been applied to the inn
provement of any city roads or streets.
We have already paid in road taxes since
we incorporated about $4,000, and il
We lose this years taxes it will amount
to at least $1,000 or $4,000 more.
We think the intention of the law is
that the city should receive 20 per cent.
of the ad valorem tax and the whole of
the special tax collected for road pur-
poses from all property and persons with
in the corporate limits of the city. and
that a liberal, if not a strict. construction
of the law by the county commissioners
in the last three years would have re-
suited in giving us this money.
No fair minded person could object to
a liberal Interpretation Of the road law,
and in our opinion the commissioners
should in this case, as they do in other
cases at all their sessions. interpret the
laws according to its spirit SO that a part
of the money paid by the people of Great
Falls for the benefit of its streets and
roads could be expended upon them.
You will see by the appended opinion
of Messrs. Cooper a. PigOtt that the com
m%issioners, by following the strict
letter of the law, are justitiable in with
holding this large sum of money collect
ed from the people of Great Falls for
rOad tax in the last three years and
spending it upon the roads in remote
parts of the county.
We believe it is not too late yet for the
commissioners to rectify this to some ex-
tent, and we respectfully recommend,
that a committee of this board be APP
pointed to meet with them and effect a
settlement so that a part of the road
taxes collected in the past three years
can be transferred to the city treasury
to be expended in improving streets.
You will see by the appended opinion
of Messrs. Cooper Il Pigott that to strict
ly follow the letter of the law it is neces-
sary for our city council to pass al or
dinance providing for the levy and col
lection of ad valorem and special taxes
at once, so that they can levy said taxes
at their regular meeting for that pur-
pose in September.
When this is done according to law
the county has no further control of this
money. We cannot conceive why the
officers of the city having charge of this
matter should have neglected to strictly
comply with the law and thereby cause
the city to lose each year large sums of
money paid by the property owners for
road purposes. We do not know which
branch of the city government is re-
sponsible for this state of affairs but we
know some one is to blame.
We respectfully recommend that you
appoint a committee to confer with the
mayor and council and cause to have
passed, without delay. the proper ordin-
ance fully covering the law on this sub
jcct, SO that hereafter the money paid by
Great Falls for road purposes can be ex-
pended within her limits. Respectfully
submitted. Robert VAUGHN,
u. G. MAcLAS,
Il. +. COLLINS.
{. WEGNEE,
Committee.
in accordance with the suggestion in
the report IA committee was appointed.
the same gentlemen who served formerly
being appointed.
The financial statement was then read
by Secretary Webster. 1t showed among
other matters a number of subscriptions
and dues unpaid. y list Of these will be
prepared and called for at the next meet
ing.