The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1901-03-22
Entitled to a Hearing


his share of some forty-one per cent of
the S37. 900 which it will be necessary to
pay If the paving proposition is carried
week from next Monday, but that is
not all of the story. There are some
sixty taxpayers who in addition to their
share in the above forty one per cent of
the tax. must divide among themselves
the remainder of the cost, or fifty.nine
per cent of the entire cost of the pave
ment divided among about sixty tax
payers out of the entire population of
the city. The law Is clear on the sub.
ject The voters of the city, without
any reference to whether they are tax
payers or not have the legal right to de-
eide whether or not they will thrust
this burden on these sixty taxpayers.
The question of whether or not they
have the moral right to do so under the
present circumstances is one which
The TIMES will leave to them to decide
for themselves. This much it does in
sist on however. The taxpayers who
reside along the streets on which the
proposed paving is to be done, paying
as they do over sixty per cent of the en-
tire cost of the work although they ar
only about sixty in number, are entitled
to a hearing. The fact that they do
pay such proportion of the cost should
make their wishes in the matter of more
weight than the wishes of any other
equal number of voters in the city.
The fact of the matter is that with
scarcely an exception the taxpayers re-
siding on the property along which it is
proposed to pave have signed remon-
STRANGE against any such action this
year. The remonstrance itself and the
names of the taxpayers who have signed
it are given herewith in full. AS said
above, THE TIMES believes that the
wishes of these taxpayers should be
carefully considered by every man who
presumes to vote on the question of
bonding for paving week from next
Monday. Further than that it will al
so add that whether the reasons adj
vanced by the signers of the remon-
STRANGE are themselves the best that
could be given or not, 1t believes that
the best interests of the city will be
served this year by defeating the pro-
position. There will be time to pave
after the bonded indebtedness of the
city-which to be sure Is not excessively
large but at the same time is consider
able-is reduced. There are other mat
ters of far more Importance to the city
at the present time than the matter of
extending the paving on Main and
Washington streets even though it be
admitted that such an improvement
would be a most desirable one if the
time were ripe for it. The remon-
STRANGE is as follows
To the Hon. Mayor and Common
Council of the City of Owosso
Gentlemen:-We the undersigned
being property owners and tax payers
along the line of the proposed pave
ment, that is contemplated for the COM
ing season, hereby respectfully remon.
strate against the laying of any pave
mept on either West Main street or
North Washington street during the
coming season, as we deem it unwise
and inexpedient to pave such streets
this season. Many of us are already
burdened by heavy taxes and to place
greater burdens upon our property on
these streets would be unjust and
would impose burdens upon many of
us that we believe no common council
should impose, or leave to the people
to decide.
Therefore we petition your honorable
body that you do not submit to the
people at the coming city election the
proposition to raise money by bond in
the sum of $4,000 for the paving of
such streets. And your petitioners will