St. Paul daily globe., 1895-09-22
FOR LOWER TAXES.
COST OF CONSTRUCTING AND RE
PAIRING PUBLIC WORKS In
-FOUR CITIES
VARIOUS METHODS OF WORK
IN ST. PAUL. THE COST Is ASSESS
ED AGAINST PROPERTY
BENEFITED.
THE MINNEAPOLIS PLAN.
Street Cleaning and Grading Done
by Conn: issiOner for Each
Ward.
THE MINNEAPOLIS

The accompanying statement,
Public Works." is intended to show
the cost of experimenting the con-
struction or repairs of streets, sew
ers, bridges, etc, the contract price
or cost of the work, the expense of
distributing this cost on the prop
erty benefited, where the work is to
be paid for by special assessments,
and the amounts expended for parks.
The different methods of doing
the work and the different laws
under which the assessments are
levied, make it impracticable to
compare this work by parallel col
umns, except to show the number of
employees, the salaries paid and the
total cost of the work.
In st. Paul all orders for work
Of this kind, that is, the construc-
ton of streets, sewers, bridges, etc,
must originate in the common coun-
ell. where a preliminary order is
passed directing the board Of public
works to investigate and report on
some six different questions, the
most important of which are:
rs this Improvement proper and
necessary" and
Can real estate be found benefit
ed to the extent of the costs and
damages necessary to be incurred
thereby?"
If the answers are in the affirma-
tive, the common council may then
pass final order directing the board
of public works to proceed with the
work, by letting the contract and
assessing the cost and expenses
against the property benefited.
In the case of street grading, paw
ng and curbing, the total cost, to-
gether with the expenses of super
intendence, is assessed on the prop
erty benefited, generally the prop
rety in front of which the work is
done. In the construction of sew
ers, the property fronting upon the
street through which the sewer is
built is assessed for the cost of the
work up to rate of not more than
dollar and seventy-five cents per
front foot In cases where the work
costs more than is realized from
this assessment, the difference is
paid out of the sewerage bond fund.
Sidewalks are assessed directly
on the property in front of which the
walk is built.
In Minneapolis the work of street
cleaning and grading is done by the
| street commissioners Zone for each
ward), the cost of the work to be
| done having been estimated and in
cluded in the tax levy of the previous
year, as ward funds, the rate of
tax for this purpose being limited to
21s mills annual levy upon all of the
taxable property of each ward. The
paving and curbing. of the streets.
building of sidewalks, and the con-
struction of. sewers. is. done by
order Of the city council, the details
of the work being in charge of the
city engineer.
The sidewalks are assessed direct
ly to the property abutting upon the
walk, the cost of paving and curb
ing is partly paid by the city, the
| property fronting upon the improve
ment being charged with the cost
of work done Immediately in front
if it; the corners, intersections of
cross streets and work done in front
of exempt property being paid for
by the city. All assessable property
in front of which sewers are con-
structed is assessed at the rate of
$1.50 per front foot, regardless of the
size or cost of the sewer, and any
cost in excess of the amount realized
from this assessment is paid by the
city out of what is called the per
manent improvement fund.-" a fund
that is provided for the purpose of
defraying the expense of the city's
part of all public improvement not
paid for by special assessments, and
is obtained by a general tax limited
to 21a mills on all assessable prop
erty in the city.
The board of public works of Omaha
I consists of three members, the chair
man, the street commissioner and the
sewer commissioner The most impor-
tant duty of this board appears to be
the experimenting of improvements
ordered by the council. They have
control of the streets and sewers, with
authority to make necessary repairs,
limited by the amount appropriated
for the purpose by the council, and
have general charge of all public work
! ordered by the mayor and council,
with authority to make contracts and
approve the assessments for the cost
of the work. In this city, Omaha, one
half of the cost of original grading,
that is, the bringing of the surface of
the street to the established grade,
may be paid out of the general fund,
and the cost of all work done on
street intersections or in front of ex-
empt property is paid by the city at
large, city bonds being issued for that
| purpose.
For the construction of sewers the
city is divided into sewerage districts,
and the total cost of a sewer is as
sessed on the real estate of the dis
trict in which it is located, each lot
or tract being charged in proportion to
the amount it is benefited by the i'm
provement, but provision is made in
the law that if the council shall find
such benefits to be equal and uniform
the levy may be made according to the
front feet Of the lots or according to
such other rule as the council may
adopt,
In Kansas City the board of public
works consists of four members, the
president of the upper house of the