Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-03
HAD A QUORUM At LAST.
Regular Routine Work Meeting of the Board of
Aldermen.

/
Aldermen
The city council met yesterday after
noon at o'clock.
Present were the mayor. Aldermen
Ullrnan, McCartin, Meade, Enslen, Jack
son, West, Kettig, Gillespie, Jones and
Duncan.
Among the petitions presented by the
mayor the following received favorable
| action:
G. L. Anderson company, to erect
| frame building on First avenue and
| Twenty-fourth street; j. D. Chichester,
| to erect a frame building on the west
half of lot 5, block 120.
The mayor read a communication from
Caldwell Bradshaw and associates in
forming the board that they had con-
veyed their water works franchise, ac
cording to agreement with the board,
to the Alabama Industrial company.
This franchise grants the privilege of
bringing water to Birmingham from the
Gate City artesian wells
The reports of the chief of police, city
engineer, street tax collector and market
clerk were read and received.
Alderman Kettig read the budget of
salaries of city officers and the city ac-
count. Ordered paid. il
Alderman Gillespie introduced a num-
Der of petitions, among which was the
petition of the Western Union Telegraph
company asking that the assessment for
1895 against the company be reduced to
Sl705 mistake appeared in reading
the company's assessment on the county
records for 1894. 1t seems the city had
made the assessment at $4,000, while the
county assessed only $3.50 The city will
reduce the assessment to $780,
Alderman Gillespie recommended that
$40 be returned to Mr.. Benzer, a real es-
tate agent, whose license had been re-
hxy 40 hno I'd frnr 70
Adopted.
A motion prevailed that the mayor and
chairman of the police and sanitary COM
mittee be authorized to set apart space
on the city property on Red mountain for
pest house.
A resolution prevailed that the city
clerk give notice to delinquents of SIDE
walk and street improvements that I'M
less the same is paid on or before April
70 execution shall issue against the prop
erty
The matter of fixing a penalty, in the
shape of a public sale of property on
which taxes become delinquent requiring
double the amount of the taxes paid by
the purchaser before the property may
be redeemed, was referred to the judi
ciary and finance committee.
Alderman Enslen, reporting for the
street committee, recommended that the
ordinance heretofore passed by the board
providing for grading and macadamiz-
ing certain streets become operative and
the work be proceeded with The ordi-
nance contained a provision that any
property owner objecting to the assess
ment against his property might appear
before the board within specified time
and offer objections. but the resolution
said that no protests have been made.
The blocks alluded to are: Fourth ave-
nue., between Twenty-fourth and Twen-
ty-fifth Streets Seventh avenue, between
Fourteenth and Seventeenth streets;
Twenty-flrst street, between Seventh
and Ninth avenues; Eighteenth street,
between Tenth and Eleventh avenues.
Alderman Kettig was opposed to build
ing any more sewers, streets or side
walks under the law of the last legisla-
ture,l since the assessments have to be
collected by suit, and the city would have
to put up the cash. Some Of the proper
tyA owners. he feared, would contest the
assessment, and, after all, the question
seemed debatable among the lawyers.
He wanted to wait until the law is test
ed in the supreme court He voted for
the ordinance originally because he was
under the impression that the work could
be done by the city with the convicts
without a cash outlay by the city. By
permission City Engineer KendPick sug-
gested that the work might be done on
one of the tlocks and report made on
the results. This was so ordered.
Alderman Enslen. chairman of the
street committee, was authorized to pur-
chase car load of lumber for bridge re-
pairing.
The petition of the butchers of Bir-
mingham who rent stalls in the market.
requesting a reduction of license from SIS
to &c. was referred to the market COM
mittee. Attorney Monte Ullman appear
ed in behalf of the butchers and spoke in
favor of the petition. s4ss5z =.
A Cow Petition.
was introduced by Alderman Kettig from
citizens in the vicinity. of Fifteenth street
and Avenue H. The petition asks that
the limits in which COWS and goats are
not permitted to run at large be extended
in that community The mayor spoke
In favor of the petition, as did also Alder
men Ullman and Kettig On motion of
Alderman McCartin the petition was
passed until the next meeting of the
board.
The petition of the Epworth league to
erect an ice water tank on Twentieth
street was referred to the street commit
tee and mayor, with power to act.
r. w. Buck, abstractor offered petit
ton that he would show the city tax
collector number of escaped taxes for
so per cent of the taxes, and with the
further proposition that number of
lots which he represents be INDUCED
on taxes until the escaped taxes are col
lected. Referred to the finance commit
tee. saNe
The board then went into executive
session.