The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-01-11
STEPS ARE TAKEN TO
SECURE new COURTHOUSE
Board of Commissioners Adopt Resolu
ton Favoring Its Immediate
Construction.

ties can be gone through with, plans Oh
tanned and approved, contracts let, and
the building elected. Then the Mt Ar
arat Archaeological association may come
and reclaim the building into which the
animals marched in pairs, and in which
they took the most remarkable voyage
in tine history of the world. The peopl.
of Yakima county will have no further
use for it.
The credit for the movement rests
with the retiring board of commission
ers, who would not have taken the step,
however, if the sentiments of the new
boards members had not been known 20
be in favor of new court mouse. Tie
last important act of the old commits
sioners was to adopt the following res,.
luton on Saturday morning:
at appearing to the board that the
present court house of Yakima county,
state of Washington, is inadequate and
insufficient for the purposes of the
county; that the protection for the pub
lie records of tine county is inadequate,
and that it is necessary that new court
house containing the facilities for the
proper protection of the records of this
county is necessary, it is, therefore,
now hereby resolved and determined
that in the opinion of the board of coun-
ty commissioners it is necessary that
such court house be constructed and
erected at once, in accordance with the
laws Of the state of Washington"
The above resolution was unanimously
adopted by the commissioners. 1t settles
the matter of the new court house for
Yakima county, and was discussed and
adopted after the board had received the
following communication embodying the
opinion of County Attorney Parker in
regard to the limit of power vested in
the board to erect a new court house
without submitting the matter to
vote of the people:
North Yakima, Wash, Jan. 5, 1905.
Honorable Board of County Commission.
ers, Yakima County, Washington:
misunderstanding your verbal
inquiry submitted by you rs to whether
this board can erect court house for
the county of Yakima without submit
ting the question to vote, have to
say:
l. That section 342 of Ballinger's
Code provides among other things that
the county commissioners are author
ICED, "To provide for the erection and
repairing of court houses, jails and 9TH
er necessary public buildings for the
use of the county"
2. Section ls45 Of Ballinger's Code
reads as follows:
"Eacn and every organized county of
this state, and each and every county
that may hereafter be organized in t.,is
state, is hereby authorized and empow-
cred by and through its board of coun-
ty commissioners to contract indebted
ness for general county purposes in any
manner when they deem it advisable,
not exceeding an amount, together with
tine existing indebtedness of such coun.
ty, of one and one.half per centum of
the taxable property in such county, to
be ascertained by the last assessment
for the state and county purposes pre-.
vious to the mourning of such indebted.
ness"
From the foregoing statute, it is clear
that your body has the right to provide
for the erection and construction Of a
court house. If you deem it necessary,
without submitting the question to
vote of the people of the county, unless
the expense incurred in the erection of
such house exceeds one and one half per
centum of the taxable property of the
county as ascertained by the last as.
sessment for state and county purposes
previous to the mourning of such indebt.
edness.
From an examination of the records
of this county the following facts ap-
pear:
The bonded indebtedness of the coun.
ty for general purposes IL SAL 10000;
outstanding warrants, $33O66.23, max.
ing . total indebtedness Of $l7l. 06623,
exclusive Of interest. The valuation Of
taxable property of the county, A. de-
termined by the last assessment is &c..
796, $4,000. This would allow the in
curing Of Indebtedness by the county in
the sum Of sl6l. 1890, without submit
ting the question Of mourning indebt-
edness to vote - provided by statute.
From the indebtedness Of the county
should be deducted the amount Of cash
in the hands Of the treasurer applica-
bic TO the payment Of warrants for gen.
eral county purposes. the amount due