The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-03
NEW BARRETT BONDS
IMPORTANT CHANGES IN ISSUANCE
OF THEM SUGGESTED.
Amendments to He Urged by Mayors
Cabinet Regarding attorney Fees
I'm Assessment Suits.

The citizens committee met with the
Mayors cabinet last night to discuss pro-
posed amendments to the city charter. The
committee asked that all persons who have
any needed amendments to the charter in
view put their suggestions in writing and
send them to E. B. Martindale, chairman OF
the committee. City Attorney Scott was
called upon to give an outline of the amend
ments which he had prepared at the sug-
gestion of the Mayors cabinet. These are
the same as were printed in last Saturdays
Journal.
After the statement of Mr.. Scott the sub
jects were taken up, one by one, and dis
posed of or passed over by the committee.
The amendment relating to attorneys fees
for collecting assessments was disposed of.
1t provided that for collections amounting to
less than 500 the fee should be 10 per cent,
and for amounts over 500 per cent, pro-
vided however. that in no case should the
fee be more than the amount of the ASSESS
ment. 1t also provides that no suit for such
collection shall be brought until ten days
notice has been given that suit will be filed
and that if the amount of the assessment is
paid after the filing of suit and before it
has been brought to trial, the fee shall not
exceed s..
The matter of paying for sweeping and
The Mayors cabinet had already decided to
recommend that street sweeping be paid out
of the general fund, but that sprinkling,
being in the nature of a luxury, should be
paid for as now. Mr.. Merritt, Of the Council,
moved that both be paid from the general
fund. His motion was the cause of the ar
gument Some contended that the sprin-
king is as much of a necessity as sweep
ing, and therefore should be paid in the
same manner. But when the statement was
made that at the present time all the unirn-
proved streets are cleaned at the general
expense, and in view of the fact that it
Sprinkling the streets all over town, it was
decided to adopt the recommendation of
The proposition to empower the Board
OF Safety to subpoenae witnesses and CO.
pei their attendance and to give it the
power to send patrolmen to any place with
in four miles of the city limits, at any time,
without the request of any corporation or
Individual. was adopted. 1t was decided that
the clause In the charter giving the resi-
dent freeholders upon such street or alley
the right to demonstrate should be changed
so as to make it clear that any person living
within the city, and owning property on a
street which was to be improved, could
demonstrate.
upon the total amount of public improve
ments that could be ordered by the Board
the work of the past year which reached
the two-million mark, was too much to be
done in a single year. He wanted the work
sessed valuation of the city property. The
matter was discussed for some considerable
time. but no action was taken on it.
The question Of legislation which would
value, Of the Barrett law bonds was
'broached, and number of remedies sug-
gested for everything except the protec-
ton of them against default in the in
e BIZ ssaea tn e S eas
and be sold by the city, instead of being
turned, oyer to the contractors, and that
instead of making them due in ten install
ments as now issue ten bonds, one falling
due each year. 1t was thought that the
latter feature would add to TIE value, as
people would prefer that the entire amount
of any one bond fall due at a certain time,
to have it come to them in small amounts
scattered through a period of ten years.
Controller Trusler suggested that no at
tempt had ever been made to sell these
law says they shall bear not more than
per cent; interest, but does not say they
they were sold by the city and some means
provided to insure their prompt payment
when due the interest could be materially
reduced. After some more discussion this
subject was passed over for more mature
elaboration at the future meetings of the
E. B. Martindale gave notice that he would
call up for consideration at the next meeting
his plan for the payment of assessment
to change the manner of paying for them.
His plan is to pay for au main sewers out
that the owner Of a lot ioox5o feet o in ' the
suburbs of the city should pay as much
for the construction Of The MissisSippi-street
sewer, or any other main sewer. as the
owner of the same size lot in the center
of the city, as is now done under the plan of
assessment according to the area of the land
and regardless of the cost. The use of the
sewer in the suburbs, he maintains, is
in the nature of a luxury, and even when
used by the cottaser, not one gallon of
sewage will be elnptied into the sewer
where one hundred sallons will come from
the lot of the same size in the downtown
sewer tax for these sewers. Those who
have already paid their assessments will
be allowed to pay into the treasury their
receipts for the tax and get credit for
ing Barrett law bonds as they become due
and for future work of this kind issue
bonds of the sarao kind.
w. =. Ffshback gave notice that he
wanted the committee to consider, at it's
next meeting, his amendment changing the
manner of letting contracts for public i'm
provements. He wants the Board of Works
to simply advertise that a certain street
is to be improved and receive bids on all
kinds of permanent streets regardless of
quality. The engineer Will then figure out
which is the cheaper, considering the last
ing qualities and cost of repairs. when the
final selection of the kind of street will
be submitted to the resident property own
ers interested. allowing them ten days in
which to decide what kind of a pavement
they want If they make no selection with
in ten days the Board of Works is to have
the power to select the material and let
the contract.
man appointed Messrs. Harris, Smith. Scott,
F'ishback and Denny, the attorneys who
are members of the committee, as a sub
committee to draft amendments covering
| action and submit them to the next meeting,
| which will be tomorrow night.