The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-04-12
OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS.
From His Honor the Mayor
JERSEY CITY. April 3. 1S9;

From His Honor the Mayor
JERSEY CITY. April 3, 1895.
Honorable Board of Street n Water
Commissioners
Conference.-The growth of Jersey City
has been greatly retarded by the diff
he streets and in applying for the con-
struction of sewers. THIS has been large
~ due to the cumbersome methods re-
quired by the laws governing the actions
of the Board making those improvements
and the consequent heavy expense, and
the additional necessity. of obtaining a
numerously signed petition and advanc-
ing the cost of preliminary advertise
ment.
In order to provide some inducement to
erty, the Corporation Attorney OF Jersey
City, during the winter of 1893. drew up
an act by which it was intended to reduce
the cost of assessable improvements. and
is entitled A act concerning street i'm
provements in Cities" approved May g.,
1894. The intention of that act is best
explained by it's preamble, which l quote
here in full
Whereas. The assessment laws now IN
force relating to street improvements are
complex IN detail, slow in operation, and
engineering fees, legal services, inSpec-
tion fees and assessing fees, rendering
the cost OF any street enforcement as
certain sum: and
Whereas, Property owners frequently
petitioned the governing bodies in cities
III " ANAN SNA01 PN'N oAN
sewer streets, the total expense to be
borne by such property owners; 4
Whereas. Without affecting the assess
ment laws now in force in cities of this
State, and to enable property owners Who
at their own expense are DESTROYS to
obtain and pay for street improvements:
and to enable the governing BODIES of
cities to direct and control such i'm
provements.
The act provides that whatever prop
erty owners, by unanimous consent, pet
ton for the construction of any sewer
the grading, curbing or paving of n
street, the amount assessed upon them
of the making of the Improvement itselt
and the Inspectors fees that their prop
erty bears as compared with the total
lumber of lneal feet of the Improvement.
It also inaugurates the system of allow
ing the individual property owners five
years in which to pay their assessment
in either bulk or in five equal INSTALL
ments.
The operation of the act has not be-
come general, for the reason that it Is
hard t9 in I'd every property o owner
provement to sign a petition for the
same. and, so far as know. has only
been availed of by the property owners
on Randolph avenue
This act soon became generally known,
and a demand arose to apply It's general
provisions without requiring the unanle
the petitioners. To meet their
vfew it was deemed wise to
frame an act having in view, the same
objects as the one referred to, but of cas-
Ter operation. Such an act was drawn
by the Clerk of your Board and pre-
scented to THE Legislature and became
passed both Houses and was approved
by the Governor on March 2, 1895. 1t is
entitled IAN Act respecting the paving,
otherwise Improving of Streets and pub
lie highways in cities of the irst-class IN
this State, and providing for the payment
Of the same, and further providing that
the assessments upon property for spec
ial benefits shall be payable in full or
in ins1tallmentts. atsthe option or the prop
terty owner" This act has been drawn
in such "a manner that it contains all
that was good in all assessment laws
now in force and at the same time does
way with everything that impeded the
making of improvements. Every prop
erty owner in the city can Improve at
the cheapest possible cost, and is be-
sides allowed five years in which to pay
installments DR. all ait once or the balance
remaining due. The same difficulties
which surrounded the making of i'm
opening, widening, extending or other
wise improving streets, avenues etc,
in the city. The property owners who
teenth street have experienced the i'm
pedcrnents shat have fer so long stood
in the way of such an Improvement, and
with such a case fresh in the official
mind. another act was drafted to remedy
this state of affairs by the same gentle
man. This act Became known as As
senlbly Bill No. 455 and was passed
through both HOUSES and approved by the
Governor on March p, 1895. Tt IS en-
tstIed. IAN Act respecting the opening,
widening, extending or otherwise inn
nroying of streets, avenues and public
highways i'm cities of the first class, and
rass,v.ding for the payment Of the same;
and further providing THAT the assess
Taents upon property for special benefits
shall be payable IN full or in INSTALL
ments at the opinion Of the property oWn-