The age-herald., 1900-03-01
improvement ordinance No. ?. affecting property on the Northside.
 

improvement ordinance No ?. affecting property on the Northside. l Mir. smyer Objected
 E. J. smyer appeared in behalf of him. | self, Major F. Y. Anderson, the Birming- nam Building and Loan Association and others to make objections to the assess ments He offered as evidence the contract for the work, which called for $4.7S7.7O, and the proposed assessment amounting to Sc, l 006.29. The proposed assessment includes $1, 100 interest, $59.Ss for printing, s2S.1O for engraving bonds and $SSS1O for engineering and supervising. Mr. Smyer argued that | the city had no right to charge for serv- ices rendered by city officers, who were on l salaries. He sa&d architects could be se- cured to superintend construction of build 1 ings at per cent. of the cost of the build | ing, but in the proposed assessment there | Us charge of about 8 per cent. for en- l sdneering expenses The question of inter- est was discussed MT. Smyer said inter est was charge for forl5earance of money. The property owners. he satd had no chance to pay these assessments. He saad this assessment would cost the property owners 8 Is per cent, about the actual SoSb II NttSIl WtHS pdlAl- IulSItSL IO lllo amount of over $500 must be paid. If the property owners pay cash, he said they will have ito pay $1,OO interest for no forbearance of money and the city will have to pay $2,2OO. He said the property | owner who took the ten years allowed would be required to pay about 1719 per cent. interest, when he only had the money an average of five years. He sad if the property owners took the ten years time they would then have to pay over $S,SOO for work, the contract price of which was only $4.7S77O. If they pay cash he said, then the city would have to pay interest. Alderman Camp said he believed every thing charged in the assessment ordinance was right except the $1 100 interest. He was opposed to charging an arbitrary tn- terest.
 City Attorney Lowe was called on for an opinion as to the interest charge. He said he believed interest charged on money bor- rowed to carry out the contract was legiti- mate, and he said he was of the opinion, though not thoroughly convinced, that the interest charged in the ordinance was legit- innate. In answer to question he said he believed the board had authority to make the interest charge.
 Alderman Camp said there were two sides to the question. He said he thought this was a case of bad management, and he did not think the property owners should be made to pay for mistakes made by city officials. &az
 Alderman Gray said the city had two methods of having improvements made One was by issuing bonds to contractors and the other by paying cash. Two or three years ago 1t was found that the improve ments were costing 40 per cent more than the construction work cost The authori-i ties, he said, are not trying to make the property owners pay more than they should.
 Alderman Moore offered a resolution, con- firming the assessments levied in ordinance No. 2.
 Alderman Camp moved to reduce the as- sessments pro rata to the actual cost of the work.
 Alderman Kerr moved to table the sub stitute and the motion prevailed.
 Alderman Moore's resolution was then adopted
 MT. Hickman, representing owners of cer- tain property in the vicinity of Fifteenth street and Seventh avenue, stated that the city had laid a sewer through private al- ley without compensating for same, and now seeks to make the owner pay for the work.
 Ordinance No. 5 levying assessments for improvements, was adopted.
 Improvement ordinance No. was read and adopted
 Alderman Gray offered the following reso- lution, which was referred to the street railroad committee:
 Resolved, That whereas the Highland Avenue and Belt Railroad company is operating freight line on Avenue E, with in the city limits, and whereas said railroad has no right or franchise to operate such freight line, that the mayor be instructed to have the law enforced in reference to said Avenue D and prevent the use of said avenue in the handling of freight"
 The board went into executive session and elected w. Fleming and E. Peterman meat and milk inspectors.