The Saint Paul globe., 1900-05-06
THINK THE ZONE TOO VIDE
DAYTON's BLUFF PROPERTY OWN.
ERs PROTEST AGAINST SEVENTH
STREET PAVING ASSESSMENT
WATTS CEDAR STREET CASE
Matter VIII Probably Remain In
Abeyance Until Decision In
Filed by Supreme
Court.

Dayton's bluff property owners affected
by the assessment for paving East Sew.
eINh street from the railroad bridge to
rope street, met at Seventh and Bates
last night and prepared petition to the
board OF public works, setting forth their
oDlections to the scheme of spreading the
assessment to adjacent property Thirty
one names, representing 2460 feet of pre n
erty, were affixed to the document. The
property owners will present the petition
to the board tomorrow afternoon. attend
ing In body to present their side of The
case. The petition results from the use
or new system of assessment for pub
lie works, made effective by the board to
cover the improvements recently made
on the East Seventh street hill. Brick
paving has been placed between the
bridge below Bradley street over the top
Of the grade to Hope street. In prepar-
Ing the assessment for the work, the
board of public works extended the area
taxable to include a large amount of
property on side streets not abuttinR on
the new pavement. South of Seventh
street, all property on both sides of cross
. streets, that facing on Sixth excepted,
has been assessed SIS a lot North of
Seventh street, where many laboF1ng men
live, the area is considerable larger, and
extends In some places two blocks at an
angle with Seventh
AT the meeting last night property own
ers representing the majority of the prop
erty assessed not abutting on Seventh
street were present The discussion of
the assessment matter was general until
w. W. Dunn explained that the matter
of assessing property not abutting on i'm
sproyements for their cost IS at presf mt
before the supreme court in the Cedar
street paving case, where petition was
submitted, asking that the assessable
area be extended to include side stress.
: He understood that a decision would be
I: handed down in June, and advised the
taxpayers to forward a petition to the
board of public works, present their OBJ
jections to the increase of the assess able
area, and, failing to obtain satisfaction,
carry the matter into the courts.
The suggestion met with approval, and
Capt Jacob Heck, a resident of North
street, who has eighty-f1ve feet which
has been assessed for the Seventh street
paving, moved that a petition be drawn.
The document was drafted, set ting forth
that residents of the bluff strongly OBJ
jected against the increased area of as
sessment, and desired that property not
abutting on the improvement be exempt
ed. Arrangements were made to meet
the board of public works tomorrow aft
ernoon and discuss the case further
The point was raised In the discussion
that the taxpayers can do nothing until
the assessment is confirmed In the
meantime the corporation attorney will
be requested for an opinion on the right
of the board to include areas not abut-
ting on the improvement assessed A
question involved concerns the du Y Of
the city to keep streets once paved in
condition and repair. Seventh street for
merly- had cedar block paving, paid for
by a general assessment of property.