The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-03-19
ROAD TAX LEYIES
PRESENT AVERAGE FOR ENTIRE
COUNTY FIVE MILLS
Average Levies of the Three Commits
sioner Districts and what Five-Min
Levy In Each Would Prodpce-Com-
missioners' Discretionary Authority.

The new road law, passed by the late
legislature, does not 90 into effect until
the first Monday in January, 1904, so
far as its practical application, to road
work is concerned. In the meantlmey
however, the commissioners will be re-
districts, not to exceed four in num-
Der, and include in the next tax levy
levy of not to exceed four mills for gen.
eral road and bridge purposes "in
which all the Inhabitants of the county
are interested" and levy for each
district, which shall not exceed ten
mills and The proceeds of which shall
constitute district fund, together
with receipts from road poll taxes paid
by residents Of the district. Owing to
the insular character of this county
there can hardly be said to he any
roads "in which all the inhabitants of
the county are interested" and SO
there will be little occasion for the levy
of more than very small general road
tax, if any. The topography Of the
county lends itself naturally to a di-
vision into three districts, with boun-
daries corresponding with those of the
commissioner districts. One supervisor
in each district, appointed by the COM
missioners, will supervise all the dis
trict road work, under the general
Il uf
and all work involving an expenditure
Of more than $3.50 must be let by con-
tract to the lowest bidder. The road
poll tax is reduced from 81 to 81 and all
road taxes are made payable in cash.
The maximum district levy author
lied by law 30 mills) would produce
in the three commissioner districts, al
together, little over $40, 900. The pres
ent average road tax levy of the three
districts is approximately five mills
1880, producing $5,034 20. The aver
age levy Of the seven districts of San
Juan island is trifle over four mills,
the ne-mill levy in the Roche Harbor
district materially reducing the aver
age. Waldron island is the only otner
district in the county that does not
make more than the minimum levy of
one mill. One district. (No. Z, San
Juan) levies only two mills and two
districts (Shaw island and No. San
Juan) levy %. With these exceptions
the levies run from four to nine mills.
The average of the seven districts on
Orcas island lis 5.71 mills and of the
four Lopez districts 6.5 mills.
If the commissioners were to make a
five-mill levy for each district, which
is the present average for the entire
county, the amount which would be
realized on San Juan island would be
approximately $4,000; OH Orcas, ap-
proximately $500, and on Lopez
about 5000, while Shaw island would
get a little over $3.50 and Waldron
about 500.
1t is evident that the success or fail |
ure of the new plan, which has been
highly successful in other states and
has the earnest support of good roads
associations, will depend very largely
upon the commissioners because of the
wide discretionary power given them
in the levy of road taxes and the full
authority which you have to appoint
and remove district supervisors and
map out in general way the work to
be done.