The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-12-20
TO REDUCE CIf7'S DEBT
Mayor Wahser Suggests an Or
dinanee Compelling Prop
erty Owners to Pay for
Sewer Connections.

Mayor Wanser has established a prece-
dent in the matter of property owners
making connections with sewers, for
which they were not assessed for any
share of the cost. In a Communication
to the Street and Water Board This
morning he outlines a course for hat
body to follow. 1t is as foilows:-
To the. Honorable the Board of Street
and Water Commissioners, Jersey ave-
nue., and Mercer street, Jersey City,
Gentlemen am in receipt OF a reso7
meeting December TO- appointing the
14th day of January, 1895. and your meet
ing room as the time and place fixed
when and where your board Will meet
to hear parties Interested IN the appli-
cation of William b. Mason and others
for the construction of a main sewer
way of the Newark and New York Rail
o a between Wilton street and Suy-
dam avenue, and along the centre line
of Pine street If extended westerly from
its present westerly terminus crossing
under the ewar and New York Rail
road to Van Horns Creek, as shown gen
orally upon a map annexed to said appli-
cation. Also for the acquiring of lands
or easements necessary. to the construc-
ton and maintenance of said main sewer
The granting of this application has been
If the Commissioners of Assessments and
their preliminary sketch show that about
two-thirds of the cost Of this sewer will
be assessed upon the city at large. The
reason for this is, that a large portion of
the sewer runs through meadow land
which had to be condemned for the right
Of q and only one-third of the cost
can be levied or collected by assess
ments upon property. benefited, The
Commissioners and your Board very
properly hesitated in adding to the
bonded indebtedness of the whole city
by, allowing the construction of such an
expensive Improvement, until they had
assured themselves of the fact that such
a sewer was absolutely necessary for
of the city n that all the property in
that portion of Lafayette would soon be-
come yalueless on account of the damage
done by our refusal TO allow the build
of Assessments have condemned a
stretch of land sixty feet wide, between
the New York Railroad and Van Horns
Creek. They have been unable to pro-
vide for the collection or designation
of any assessment upon the property
west of the railroad, and as the city will
acquire title in fee simple to this
stretch of land which may at some flu
ture time become valuable either as a
street, or the property bordering there
on may be used at any time in the fu-
ture for building purposes, l believe
that the policy of the city should be
to assess the property benefited in thai
time either for the cost of that right
of way for use as a street or hat a
charge should be made for permits to
connect with that sewer which would
equal the cost of an assessment. AS
this will probably not occur for some
years l desire, and my intention has
been, in sending this communication to
your board to have the matter become
a part of your records, and in order
that your successors might have the
advantage of knowing what the policy
of the city was at the time of the con-
~struction of the sewer. This may also
act as a preventative to any action on
The part of any future Board of Street
and, Water Commissioners calculated to
give away the rights to connect and use
this very expensive sewer without the
city obtaining proper compensation for
those privileges and adequate return
for the money now expended. The en-
teen thousand three hundred and nine
ty-three dollars and fifty cents ST.
1893. 500. Only six thousand nine hundred
and seventeen dollars CSC, 91O can be col
ten thousand seven hundred and eighty
three dolllrs and fifty cents ($10, 1913. 500,
will have to be borne by the city at
large until such time as, tie section west
Of the railroad has become of such
value that the sewer VIII be used and
some return of the money, if not all,
city can be procured. In this connection
I would suggest that your board have
prepared and adopt an ordinance regu-
latirlg the granting and the price of
permits " HidAS SoiIlctllOHS with SEW
ers such as this one, making provision
that in such a case as this if at any
time connections be made with q sewer
by property not assessed at the time
of the construction of the sewer. the
rate charge for a permit in such a case
should equal the amount of an assess
ment.. ! am sure that such an ordinance
would be. of great value to the city in
a great many cases now and in the fu-
ture, and I venture to say that the city
has in, the past lost many opportunities
10 make up in part or in whole that por-
ton of the cost Of many sewers borne
by the city, thereby losing the oppor-
tunity to reduce SO much of that por.
ton of our Indebtedness as is represent
ed by that cost.
Very respectfully,
PETER F: WANSER,
Mayor.