The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-05-16
The CITY GROWING
Street and Water Board
Petitioned for Street
Improvements.
OUTLAY OF HALF A MILLION
New Laws Extremely Beneficial to
Property Owners-Work Of As
sessment Commissioners.
OUTLAY OF HALF A MILLION

H4
1t will no doubt be gratifying to hold
ers Of realty in all parts of this city to
knew that within the past three weeks
more applications for public improve
| ments have been filed with the street
| and Water Commissioners than in any
year in the history of this city. This
| seems like a broad assertion, but 1T IS
| borne out by facts, procured from the
records of the Street and Water Board.
1t has been reported that there We're
nearly two hundred improvement appH-
cations before the Street and Water
Bo4d at the present time. The NUM-
Der does not exceed fifty, but they repre-
sent an outlay of nearly a half million
dollars.
That there is some cause for such a
rush for public improvements is natural
The encouragement for property owners
to improve their holdings is biased on
the recently passed liberal improvement
avs for which City Attorney Weart
and Clerk Bouton of the Street and
Water Board are directly responsible.
The first act under which improve
ments may be applied for is known as
the Unanimous Petition Act" Under
Ills pFOVlSiOuS, IL d pGlillOu Is SlSllSQ Wy
every property owner to be benefited.
the city shall at once prepare the nee
essary plans and specifications and adj
vertise for bids. The only cost of any
such Improvement which can be assess
ed upon property is the amount actual
ly paid to the contractor and the fees
of an inspector. The cost of advertis-
ing. legal. engineering and assessment
faac i- hOrr, NV thn ai+u h,1t tbi- Jo4ter
work is required to be dcne by regu-
larly employed city officials, who are
not permitted to receive any extra com
pensation for such services.
ITS SALIENT FEATURE.
Then comes the salient feature of this
act as well as the other improvement
laws. 1t provides that the property
owners, successors, heirs or assigns
shall have five years from the late
when the annual tax is payable III
which to pay for said Improvement, the
amount assessed or apportioned against
each piece of property shall bear in
terest at the rate of seven per cent.
from the date of the confirmation, and
that the payments may be made in
five annual installments."
Under the old system the assessments
frequently for improvements became OPP
pressive by reason of having to be paid
promptly, in default of which they stood
as a lien on the property. That fact
alone was Instrumental in hanging up
much needed and desired improvements.
OF course the contractor has to be paid
fer his work as soon as the Improvement
is accepted. This is provided for nice
ly. The city is authorized to practically
loan the necessary money to the prop
erty owners for six years. The city is
to issue Improvement certificates to the
contractor bearing emily five per cent.
Interest. The property owners pay the
city seven per cent. interest and the diff
ference of two per cent is supposed to
offset the expense borne by the city in
the necessary advertising of the improve
ment and the call for bids.
Although property owners are entitled
to pay their assessments in five years
they may pay it at once and in that
way avoid the seven per cent interest
tax. The law makes payment easy and
property owners realizing that fact are
availing themselves of the opportunity
to enhance the value of their holdings.
THE SEWER ACT.
another law known as the Improve
ment and Sewer Act" makes it posi-
AOPSAhy - oP-
ply for the construction of a sewer or
the making of an improvement. Whether
such l improTsement shall be made or no.
and Water Board. If the latter boara
deems an improvement necessary it may
decide to make it, advertise for bids,
award a contract and assess the prop
erty benefited for the cost of the work.
The object of this act is ma:linst. In
ton OF the city officials where a few
elSDnky properly oWire.rs nave been able to
prevent the making of necessary i'm
provements. That time is passed. be-
cause the city may, by virtue Of the act
in question:, proceed regardless of the
wishes. of property owners
III IS proposed by the city officials to
take advantage of the law unless com
PEELED to do so. The Mayor wants tile
property owners tc take some interest
N the city and apply in a regular man
the assistance of the Street AMI Water
commissioners, to make Jersey City a
the streets being, made p%assabie and II
property owners have not enough public
spirit to aid them. he will let the city
improvements which will be beneficial
generally. All assessments levied in
this manner will stand as a lien against
rents OF. taxes. The city is going to be
improved, no matter whether some of
the e~asy-going slow coach realty owners
IMPRovING STREETS.
Another splendid law provides for the
opening, widening and extension of
streets. AS in the other laws the city is
authorized to make the opening, extern
sion or widening, and pay for 1t, allow
ing the owners of property liabIe to as
sessment to pay their share of the cost
of the work, in five annual installments.
This act is a splendid one. and is al
ready being taken advantage of. 1t was
who are bowling for the extension of
certain streets to the Hill.
Clerk Bouton's final law is known as
the sidewalk Act" Under it the Street
and Water Commissioners may direct
! property owners to repair or relay their
Sidewalks. Upon their refusal the Board
| may do the work, and the cost will stand
as a lien against the property. If it
happens that the fun set aside for the
repair of sidewalks becomes exhausted,
the Street and Water Board is author
liquor license fund, which is set aside
for the repair of paved streets. 1t is
the instaliment plan of payment of as
sessments that is bearing such splendid
SOME ARE PUZZLED.
The method of dealing with applica-
tons under the new laws is puzzling
some people. To begin with, when ar
application for an Improvement is made
to the Street and Water Board, 1t is at
once referred to the Committee on
Streets for Investigation. If that com
mittee thinks the Improvement a neces-
| the Chief Engineer, and Commissioners
| Of Assessment. The Chief Engineer pre-
pares the necessary specifications and
the Commissioners of Assessment pre-