The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-04-28

audacity Of the administration in plan
ming work that will cost the city s347.
III. may be appreciated. If contracts
should be let for this work the city
would be so badly in debt that 1t might
have to be taken over by receiver.
Other Work Contemplated.
In addition to this, it was recently de-
cided TO pave First South street, from
Second East TO Thirteenth East streets.
On this work the city pays for the
street intersections and half the grad
ing, and the total viii amount to con-
siderably more than $4,000. This is
more than half the amount now in the
street fund to pay for such work. Not
withstanding this fact, however, the
city recorder has been authorized to
publish notice of intention to make the
Improvement.
The same condition is true as to the
contemplated paving of State street
between Seventh South and Tenth
South streets This would cost the city
about $4,000, yet the notice of intention
has also been published.
Every time a group of property own
ers asks for a sidewalk or paving ex-
tension the council grants it and notice
OF intention is published. No regard at
all is paid 10 the amount of money the
city has TO pay for these improvements
Nobody seems 10 care.
Politics Plays Its Part.
The object of this action on the part
of the American party is apparent. 1t
realizes that it is in the hole financial
ly so far now that a few thousand dol
lals one way or the other will make only
n little difference. Property owners feel
aS6rieTed when their improvement Pc
titions are denied. and aggrieved prop
erty owners mean so many less votes.
So the council goes ahead and orders
any and every old thing it is asked for
with absolutely no thought of the fu
ture.
Another phase of this contract tangle
which seems about TO bankrupt the city
is the heavy rate of taxation which the
citizens are now burdened with. In ad-
dition to this rate, the special assess
ments levied against improved property
must be taken into consideration. BY
the city engineers estimates furnished
to the council two weeks ago the total
amount assessed against abutting prop
erty in contracts either under way,
contracted for or contemplated, reaches
the sum of s. 1888, which is equal to
3 per cent assessment on all the proper
ty in the city, taking the assessed valu-
dtttfi W NC S1esVNtfovV. DQt II lnQoi OC
considered that only about one-fourth
of the property must pay this tax, and
from this it may readily be seen that
the burden on portion of the property
owners is great.
Contractor Released.
Besides all this the city has released
the Utah Fireproofing company from
doing 100000 feet of sidewalk This
contract was let at a low figure. and
with that as a basis the city engineer
estimates that the city's portion of the
part of the work would
amount to about s11 900. When a new
contract is let for this work the city's
portion will probably be $4,000. be-
cause of the increase in the price of
materials and the cost of labor.
Taking everything into consideration.
the city is up against it. and up against
il hard. In this synopsis. current ex-
penses and other little matters such as
building an addition TO the crematory,
at a cost of $4,000. have not been taken