St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1892-08-25
TOWN MEETING.

There was Small Attendance, but an
Eighty Per Cent Tax was voted and
Other Business was Done.
The adjourned town meeting held
on Saturday afternoon was attend
ed by less than score of voters, but
considera bic business was done.
Elisha May as moderator explain
ed the purpose of the meeting-name-
", to vote a tax sufficient to raise
what money would be needed to pay
current expenses for the year to
come and other bills which would
fall due during that time.
Treasurer Blodgett gave some
figures concerning state, school and
county taxes and special appropria-
tions heretofore made that would
have to be taken care of during the
year, giving the total, aside from
what the selectmen would need, as
SIT, 7,692.62 calling for atax Of about
40 per cent. The selectmen, through
Daniel Carpenter, reported that it
would require about $4,000 to
meet the current expenses of the
year, and suggested that a tax of
80 per cent be voted, to cover the
whole amount needed The grand
list of the town in $40, 991.75.
The matter was finally disposed of
by the adoption of the following
resolution, offered by E. D. Blodgett: {:
Resolved, That a tax of 80 cents on
the dollar be assessed upon the grand
list of the taxpayers of the town of st.
Johnsbury for the year 1892, to be
collected soon as may be and paid into
the town treasury as soon as collected,
or any part thereof, for the purpose of
paying state, state school and county
| taxes which may be assessed upon said
town; also to pay the instalment on the
funded debt due Jan. 1, 1898, and the
interest on the funded debt due Jan. 1
and July 1, 1898, also to pay the interest
on the .. S. deposit money held by the
town due Feb. 1, 1898; also all special
appropriations heretofore voted payable
annually, or hereafter voted; and also to
pay the current expenses of said town,
including the support of the poor as
| PROVIDED Dy law.
The committee appointed at the
March meeting to consider the
propriety of selling the present town
farm and locating a similar institu-
tion in some remoter part of the
town, reported, through w. B. John
son, as follows:
the 3Oth day of April and made some
investigation, but were embarrassed by
lack OF knowledge of the amount of land
contained IN the town farm, and in order
to better satisfy themselves and the
voters of the town with reference to the
subject matter under consideration, they
procured a survey of the town farm and
find that it contains 140 acres of land.
On the 14th of May your committee
made a careful examination of the
premises for the purpose of getting at
the sum that the town might expect to
realize from sale of said property. 1t
is mainly within the village limits, and
we think it could be divided into building
lots and small parcels sold to good ad-
vantage-about- as follows: Twelve
lots 5X6 rods, fronting river, at $500
amounting to $4,000; five lots northeast
of buildings, S125O; present buildings
and FIVE acres of land, S25O0; 13O acres
of pasture and tillage, $4,000; making
amount that could be realized from the
property, $9950.
We think that the above is a con-
servative estimate of what could be
realized from this property provided the
town farm is removed. Daniel Car
penter and Chas. Cobb of our board o1
selectmen were with your committee at
the time of the appraisal and concurred
| in the above estimates. The lots are OF
comparatively small value with the
town farm buildings where they are
The location is frst-class and your com
mittee are satisfied that with the town
farm removed its present site would be-
come very desirable and pleasant part
of our village and the property command
large values.
Your committee are satisfied that the
town can purchase property in every
way as well suited for the purpose at rs
per cent less than can be realized from its
present property. We think that a
valuable section for building would be
opened up on the property thus thrown
open, and that this would be of ad-
vantage to the town in the way of in
creased grand list.
We recommend that the town purchase
a suitab farm for its poor in a good
locdtlon, WHICH VIII DC valuable Tor 1tS
producing capacity, and sell out the
present farm in parcels as people desire
to buy. We think it very foolish economy
to occupy valuable building sites for
farm property. No prudent man would
do it in the conduct of his private bust
ness, and we regard it equally foolish for
the town.
On motion of Alex. Dunnett the
committees report was accepted,
but further action on this important
matter was deferred till the next
town meeting, the selectmen being
instructed to insert an article in the
warning duly covering the business
! to,.nl,ed u th:s -o...,.-.