St. Paul daily globe., 1895-12-24

an
shseses sfne1t sl0Of' Of grade: m " ...: @ 12s 50
b lotat: A., =. c.,; ond Involvement
covered by the So assessments consid-
cred distribute themselves as follows:
Contract work. k.......................$ .$SSl 6o6
Condemnations Observation-Disclosures. l4'os4
1896. $50
In addition, the board spent consider
able time upon the question of assess
ments for appropriations of land for
park purposes, without reaching deli
mite conclusions.
The cost of making special assessments
for local improvements. outside the serv-
ices of the members of the board, is Tor
clerical work and printing. The former
includes the preparation of lists OF own
ers of the several parcels of land to be
assessed, as the same appear upon The
county abstract records. This is now
done by the abstract clerk of the board;
and, in the volume of the present year S
assessments, at cost considerably be-
low the amount of the fees now allowed
by law TO abstract officers for like
amount of work.
There is also added. in pursuance of
the provisions of the city charter, to all
special assessments. one-half of one per
cent city treasurer'S fees for receiving
payment. This is the only class of lax
in the world. where the taxpayer, in ad-
dition to his tax, pays for the privilege of
paying it; and seems therefore. a most
unfair discrimination. The eXaction goes
into the general fund; and, to that eN-
tent. the payers of special assessments
contribute more than their just share for
the support of the city government.
In assessments for building sidewalks.
it has been assumed that the expense for
the foregoing items would average 10 per
cent of the cost of the Improvement. and,
in practice, that percentage has been ad-
ded. The board has lately decided 10 re-
duce this percentage to 5. In other as
seSSmentS, only the precise cost of those
items are included.
For clerical work. printing, and the p
per cent collection fees the total cost
OF the 81 assessments considered dur
ing the year was S4,900.35, or y per
cent as reported by the board. 1t
would be fair to add to this y the salar-
les Of the members of the board, $1,000.
which would bring the total cost up 10
S9.9OO.S5. or about 2.6 per cent.
1t will be observed that the bulk of the
assessments for the present year have
been comprised in the thirteen items for
repaving streets. Deducting the amount
of these. there remain Sis, ,16S, distributed
among the siXty-nine other assessments
considered. or about 81 $50 each.
With the construction of public build
ings, or any other public structure. the
cost of which is not required to be wholly
board OF public works have no duty, eX-
cept approving the estimates to contract
ors in certain cases. The board does,
however. have general control of the
common street. bridge and sewer main
tenance fund, which is expended by the
city engineers bureau. This fund
amounts to from S125,G00 to $3.50. 900 per
year, and will be considered in that part
of this report which deals with the bu-
reau named.
each OIL gas, and electric lamp, for which
the city pays, in the months of May and
October of each year. and to decide as to
the necessity of its further maintenance,
and make report thereon to the common
council within the first ten days of June
and November respectively. Upon the re-
ception of such report, it becomes the i'm
mediate duty of the council to order the
disconttnuance of any lamps reported by
the board to be unnecessary. The report
OF the board is required to be made in
duplicate, one copy for transmission to
the council and the other for retention
by the board. No new street light can
be established unless reported necessary
by concurrence of three members of the
board. The provisions of the charter
upon this subject seem to be lacking in
that copies of the semi-annual lists of
unnecessary lamps are not required to be
transmitted to the contractor and comp
troIer.
OHueI THESE cndrIer regulations, the
board has, during the existence of the
present contract for lighting the streets
with gas, caused the discontinuance of
I51 gas lights costing the city about
$1,000 per year. Few of these lights
have since been restored. The board in
formed the committee that it has been
extremely conservative in recommends
tions of new lights and in that way has
kept the total number of lights and the
cost of maintaining them appreciably be-
low what the same otherwise might have
been.
In deciding upon questions other than
the distribution of assessments and the
necessity for lights, the board appears
as might be expected, to rely mainly
upon the advice of the city engineer.
The several steps required by law in
the ordering and execution of orders for
improvements, and in the making of spe-
cial assessments therefor, must be cor
rectly taken, or the assessment will be
tnvalidated. Compliance with this, how
ever, requires merely the carefulness of
ordinary clerical skill as the charter pro-
visions upon the subject are clear, and
have mostly been judicially construed.
Besides, the official legal advisers are
always at hand. to solve new questions
as they may arise.
Should special assessment fail. from
frregularity, the result is merely to re-
Quire a reassessment. in which former
errors may be avoided. No irregularity
can defeat the ultimate right of the citv
to engorce payment for local improve
ments. by the owners of property spe-
Cially benefited thereby.
CITY ENGINEER.
The city engineer receives a salary of
$4,000 per year, and his term is two
point first assistant engineer IN P
and such other assistant engin,
eers as the public service may require.
M af1
to time, fix the compensation of the as
sistants, and other subordinates of the
engineers office, at such amounts as
shall seem to the council proper; but
the total pay roll of the Office, below
Its head, must not exceed $4,000 Der
year. Terms of Office In the engineer 5
bureau below that of the head. have
not been established by law.
The present monthly pay roll is as
follows:
gineer, s20S.33; assistant engineer, $3.50;
assistant engineer $133.33; assistant en-
Sineer, 1925; transitman, 500; three do
at sS5 each. $3.50: four rodmen at $50
each, $240; three chainmen at $50 each,
$3.50; inspector house connections and
cement, $40; bookkeeper $100; draughts-
man, 500: draughtsman $50; stenog-
rapher, SIS; clerk, So; clerk, $50; total,
This is at the rate of s27,S19.84 per
The above is for the city engineer and
his staff proper.
For the supervision of ordinary
street. bridge and sewer maintenance,
the city engineer has the following corps
appointed by himself and receiving the
following monthly compensation:
Sewer inspector, 500; chief street
commissioner, sS3.33 five street com
missioners at SIS each, s375; total,
$55S333
This is at the rate of $1,000 per year.
The officials last named have no term
of office established by law
For immediate superintendance OF
contract work. and to insure the re-
ceipt by the city of the materials and
workmanship contracted for, the city
engineer employs special inspectors at
salaries fixed by himself, with approval
of the board of public works.
During the season of work in 1885,
twenty-nine inspectors of contract
work were employed, for periods rang
Ing from three days to six and a halt
months each, at salaries ranging from
$50 to s100 per month. The total COM
pensation paid was $614S55, and was
divided as follows: Sprinkling CON
tracts, $1,915; sweeping contracts, 1864
construction work, $3,S69.55 total, &c.
1885
The total contract price of work SC
92n1 deT 0c Tho ooet "a