Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-03-17


Marshalltown ..............79.
Waterloo ..64.
Fort Dodge ........... ...bI.5
Oskaloosa .67.25 -
BY looking over these figures, you
will notice that our school tax ex-
ceeds the school taxes in any of the
other cities by a large amount; Ii
mills more than Fort Dodge, IL mills
more than Oskaloosa, about II mills
more than west side Waterloo, while
our city tax is not so comparatively
heavy.
We should direct our criticism to the
rate of school tax more than the rate
of city tax. / believe that we should
always be liberal in our school tax so
that we may have good schools, pro-
vided with the best of teachers and
comfortable for the children. Still it
looks as if our school tax was too high.
AS understand it. we in MARSHALL
town, furnish school books, free. That
is quite an expense. do not know
how it is in Oskaloosa, Fort Dodge or
Waterloo.
Hoping these figures may be of some
use to you, remain,
Yours truly,
J.. M. WHITAKER.
March Is, 1905.
Marshalltown's school levy can not
be criticised as too high unless ex-
,travagance can be shown. 1t is true
that Marshalltown is the only town
in the above list furnishing free text
books, but this costs only from $1,000
ito $4,000 per year and last year aver
aged SO cents per pupil while the for
lmer cost to parents used to be from
$3.50 to 81 per pupil Marshalltown
has built the Arson and Click school
buildings within the past few years
besides spending large sums for re-
pairing the Arnold and Second ward
schools. 1t has the finest high school
of any, which building is not yet paid
for. Above all it should be femem-
bered that Marshalltown has better
schools than any other town in the
state, admittedly so by all educators
and college investigating committees.
City Taxes.
Not only does Marshalltown head the
list in it's schools but Councilman Abbott
has gathered information from seven
other Iowa towns in her class which
shows that not one of the seven owns
its water works, street lighting plant,
paid fire department and builds sewers
from general taxation. Some own one
and some two of these public utilities
but none possesses even three of the
four while Marshalltown owns all four
Marshalltown has more miles of water
mains than any Of them, more hyd-
rants, more miles of sewers, more
miles of paving than any except Bur-
lington, is fifth on the list in popula-
tion, is fourth from the bottom in pub
lie debt, third from the top in tax
levy, and is the only town on the list
showing a special park tax.
Marshalltown's city levy is 20 mills
but Waterloo,s levy averages "a. Bur-
lington's is 80 and Ottumwa's as.
yet not one of the three towns owns
Its own water works or its street
lighting plant. Burlington taxes it's
cost of sewers to the abutting property
while Marshalltown makes general
levy. Boone's levy is 26 mills, and
Boone taxes it's sewer cost ito the
abutting property and does not own it's
street lighting plant, but does own it's
water works. Fort Dodge has a levy
of 90 mills, but while Fort Dodge
owns it's water works it does not own
it's street lighting, has no paid fire de-
partment and assesses abutting prop
erty for its sewers. Mason City, with
very little paving. assesses abutting
property for it's sewers, has no paid
fire department. does not own it's
street lights and has a levy of 81 mills.
Remove from Marshalltown's total
city levy for basis of fair comparison
her mills sewer tax, 2 mills park tax,
/ mill fire department tax with as
much again from the general fund
spent on the fire department, and her
6 mills water tax, and her city levy
will be the lowest of any town on the
list with her 5 mills special paving
tax included.
Again tax levies must be compared
with valuations to be understood.
While Waterloo shows "a mills to our
30, Wateroo's taxable one-fourth val
uation is 100000 to our $1,000, goo.
Fort Dodge levies on s2.224,00O, Oska-
loosa on $1,500,000, Burlington on 3d.,
$4,000. and Ottumwa on s2.3s9,000.
In the number of fire hydrants Mar
shalltown has 254, Waterloo, 241; Bur-
lington, ESQ. and Ottumwa, 21O. while
The population of Burlington is 2zner