Omaha daily bee., 1905-08-09
CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
Mayor Vetoes Levy Resolution and 0OunCi
0vorrides Objection,
SAVING COULD Be MADE IN SINKING FUND
Present Population Not Required to
Discharge obligation Incurred in
Construction of Permanent
Public improvements.

Public Improvements.
The city council Tuesday night passed the
ordinance providing for the city levy over
the mayors veto. Zimman and Hoye voting
to sustain the veto sustained the veto Of
the mayor to the resolution allowing salaries
to special clerks employed by City Clerk
Elbourn to send out sidewalk notices;
passed the ordinance redistricting the city
wards after changing the voting precincts
of the Twelfth ward in accordance with
the wishes Of the Twelfth Ward Republican
club, and then spent lot of time in dis
cussing a resolution to pay Elbourn's spe-
cial clerks 2675 cents an hour and abstrac-
tors 20 cents an hour, which was finally re-
ferred to a committee.
An ordinance was introduced to grant
permission TO the Burlington railroad to
lay track on jackson street from Tenth
to sixteenth and in the alley north of
Jackson from Tenth to Twelfth. This was
introduced by Back
Zimman's End seat hog" ordinance was
laid over because the committee to which
It was referred could not decide whether
the person who had the end seat was more
of a hog than the person who crawled on
the car late and made him move over"
The committee was of the opinion that to
have his corns stepped on was sufficient
punishment for the end seat hog.
Mayors Levy veto.
Mayor Moores gave the following reason
for vetoing the city levy:
I return herewith without my approval
! document No. 2SS7, being concurrent reso-
! luton fixing the amount of the levy for
! the year 1905 to be certified to the county
matter very careful attention and "ove
consulted with numerous city and county
| officials and with many property o"ners
| who are vitality interested in the matter,
and from my investigation l am convinced
! that the proposed levy is unnecessarily
! high and should be reduced.
The levy proposed to be certified is di-
vided in the resolution into four parts.
! First, for general purposes of the city
third. for water tax, 100000; fourth. for
! school purposes a levy. of 13 mills on the
! dollar, one-fifth vaulation.
The first item for general purposes Of
/ the city for the year 1906, amounting to
! $4,000 is the maximum amount fixed
/ by the charter for general purposes. TAX
! ing into consideration the fixed charges
already existing against this fund, it seems
| evident that no reduction can be made
| in this branch OF the levy
The third item is the water tax for the
city of Omaha for the year 1906 as per
| city. the sum of 100000 The Legislature
in 1903 took from the mayor and council
! the right of fixing the levy for the water
fund and placed that power solely in the
| hands of the Water board, the charter
! providing that the water board should
! fix the amount of the levy for water pur-
poses and should notify the mayor and
council of the amount required, whereupon
| it becomes the duty of the mayor and
| council to place that amount for water
purposes in their certificate to the county
clerk Accordingly the mayor and coun-
! is no hope of making any saving on this
| item.
Concerning the sinking Fund.
The second item calls for a levy of $3.50 :
ms
| Indebtedness of the city of Omaha Tor the
| year 1906. The city treasurer informs me
that the interest charges upon this fund
for 1906 outstanding bonds will amount
to $4,000 and your honorable body evil
IDENTITY concluded to make a payment upon
| ness and so raised this amount to $3.50, 900.
| Under the last charter, in section l52, pro-
| vision is made for placing certain moneys
| in the sinking fund which went into the
| general fund prior to the passage of this
| charter. The city treasurer estimates the
following receipts from these sources up
to and including the close of the year
1906, towit: Interest from deposit of funds
| special assessments that were. delinquent
on the passage of said act; this VIII pro-
the probability is that owing to the scav-
enger suit 1t may produce high as
800 600. l am informed that the latter es-
innate is made by the legal department
Third, all delinquent taxes not required
to pay the warrants or other obligations
was levied, this item will produce at the
lowest estimate $4,000"
Taking the lowest estimates on these
three items, not hitherto available, the
sinking fund will receive from such sources
not less than $l5SOOO. | am Informed thai
your honorable body in naklng the levy
ing off bonds which will mature during
the coming year; 100000 of sewer bonds
and 100000 of paving bonds will become
due during the year 1906 1t seems to me
that it would be a great mistake to at
tempt TO pay off these bonds at the present
The sewer system of the city is a perma
nent improvement and should be of valu'
for at least 100 years, and do not see why
/, the property owners of Omaha, who are do
ing so much to build up this. city Tor th'
future, should be compelled to pay the ful
| to me- these bonds should be renewed fo
a period of twenty years and let the future
! citizens of Omaha, who will receive th'
2 benefits help TO pay the cost of these i'm
provements when the renewal bonds com'
due. The city can renew these bonds TO
per cent and possibly for S4 per cent
while property owners who borrow to pa!
taxes must pay approximately per cent
| IT, therefore, this $l5S,0OO heretofore re
7 ferred to should be applied to meet 1906 in
I terest charges on bonds, and the maturing
{ bonds should be renewed, 1t would leav
! fund by direct taxation instead of $4,000
included in the levy. This would be re
duction OF about II mills on the propose'
: levy.
! school Boards Estimate High.
: The last item in your resolution relate
] | TO the levy for school purposes. l an
aware of the fact that under the presen
, law the School board is allowed to fix tn
: amount of its levy and the mayor and coun
! ell must levy the amount designated How
, ever, there are certain phases OF this stu
> alton which IL seems to me have escape,
: the attention of the School board in fiXin
its levy. In the. certificate, hled by IN
! school board calling for l3-mill levy,
Is stated that a l3-mill levy will produc
$3.50 600. As a matter of fact. l234 mills. O
, ! one-ffth valuation. will produce $26l $50. IS
I | or 81 SS6.6S more than the School boar
! states that IL is necessary for 1t to raise b.
. ! taxation. 1 secured these figures fTor
. | County Assessor II. d. Reed, and they ar
: | based upon the last assessment. The SchOC
= | board likewise appears to have OverlOoke
I | the fact that the county makes a levy o.
y | the gross receipts Of insurance cOmpanle
; | under the new Interpretation of the reVenu
| law which will very largely increase tn
S | School boards funds. 1t is evident froT
r, these figures as given me by the city treas
II | urer and county assessor that levy of
q | to 1913 mills on the county valuation woul
| produce S260,OOO for the School board, whic
is the amount necessary for 1906 accordin
| that the l3 mills demanded by the .Schog
| board is excessive from OF TO ] mill.
. | In view of the situation IL seems to me tha
| the amount for the sinking fund in the lev
| should be cut down to $500, 600, and that IN
| School board should meet the mayor an
| council half way, reducing its levy down
| such a per cent as Will produce the $3.50. q
! upon which II has attempted TO base Il
5 ! calculations. If the School board will as
II | sist us in this way, | see no reason VIII
!, | we can not reduce the amount Of this lev