The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-05-07
THE LAW ON THE SUBJECT AS
GIVEN In THE CURTIS BILL
FOR IMPROVEMENT
ATTY BURNS MAKES IT CLEAR
Intelligent Statements that VIII Inter-
est Property Owners

Tue COMMERCIAL CluD nelI on Ine
evening Of May 4th and listened
with considerable interest to the
discussions concerning ways and
means of putting into effect Sec.
20 of the recent Curt Law relat
ing to municipal improvements,
street paving etc. and af er hearing
the diversity of opinion that pre-.
vailed at the meeting and upon the
invitation from your Mayor TO the
Bar of Chickasha to submit sugges
tions concerning the application Of
the law and our Interpretation of it
| take this method of submitting
my opinion and suggestions con
cerning the same. Let it be re
ceived tor whatever it may be
worth. / desire to say that my
reason for resorting to the columns
of your valuable paper is that the
time is short in which to act, and
as there has been a committee ap-
pointed to circulate petitions, it
might lessen their labors and facili-
tate matters greatly for the property
owners to have something to guide
them, and mediate upon before
the petition committee reaches
them.
have heard the matter Of paving
discussed very extensively in the
past few days and there is but a
very small per cent Of the people
who are opposed to paving under
almost any condition. I find that
some people are of the opinion that
if We proceed to lay out and estab-
lish an improvement district and
pave the streets that there will be at
once heavy tax laid upon their
property and they will be forced to
give up something like half its
value to pay for the improvement,
while in fact nothing can be farther
from the truth.
! have carefully read the Curtis
Bill in question and find that its
objects and purposes are identical
with similar provisions of the Laws
Of Oregon. relating to the same
subject and with which / feel that
I am thoroughly familiar, having
been City Attorney of Coquille,
Oregon and having represented the
city in laying out improvement
districts and advising the City
Council relative thereto.
Now from comparison Of the
two laws, my practical knowledge
Of the one and careful scrutinizing
the other / feel competent to make
the following statements and will
leave it to your readers as to their
Ist. 1t is within power of the
City Council to say what territory
shall be embraced in. the proposed
district, and after securing the con-
sent Of a majority Of the property,
owners in said proposed district,
(uot residents) the City Council
will then be empowered to provide
BY ordinance, that said territory
described shall constitute an i'm
phONCAlCul QlStIlCI,
aud The City Council may then,
estimate the cost of such improve
nent and estimate the amount
necessary to be assessed on the
property composing said district.
thiuk that under the law, the
City Council will not be compelled
to be governed by any assessments
that may now exist on any property
but are to make such assessment
Itself and that such assessment
should be graduated, 50 that
may be assessed accord
ng 10 the benefits likely to accure
q such property by reason Of such |
improvement, having regard, of
'ourse to location. etc. For
Instance, suppose chickasha ave
,ue should compose district then