The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-22

Since the reform" administration went
into power. Jan l. 1906. it has undertaken
to spend $4,541, 5O7 in public Improvements.
During 1906 it paid out S732,54S Of the peo-
pies money for this character of work
and since Jan. ! of this year has un-
dertaken work which when completed
will cost $l,21S. l26 more and of which
the citys portion is S696.100 OF the work
contemplated, 8, BOG, 365 worth remains I'M
touched.
Outside of the Big Cottonwood conduit,
the new water supply mains and the IN
tsrcepting sewer. most Of this work was
planned by the present council ana board
of public works The three great i'm
provements mentioned We're started by
the Morris administration and will be
paid for out of the 81. 00000G bond fund is
sued for that purpose in 1903.
it is denied by no one that Salt Lake
needs improvements, and needs them bad
". but the city at present has under
way work which viii when completes
mean a draft ON the municipal strong
box of S696 100. OF this amount, all but
$50. 09S comes out of the bond fund, anu
this sum must be paid from the street.
water and sewer funds derived from gen
eral taxation. 1t is estimated that each
of these funds viii amount TO S30Vp
this year. making a total of S4t0.vOO. Out
of this must be taken first the general
expenses of these departments for the
year, which will aggregate $4,000, leav-
ing at a most liberal estimate Sl5e,0O1 TO
pay for SZS0,O0O worth of work.
Bond Fund Deficit.
Then there is in addition a deficit com
ing in the bond fund of approximately
S200000, for the city engineer figures that
the work being done under IT Will cost
8, 10000 and there IS only SLONGy 70
pay for it. This additional S200OOO there
fore must come out of these funds. bring
ing the grand total of the amount the
city must pay UP to $4,000,
This means that the present administra-
ton, in its anxiety to remodel the city,
has obligated itself to pay for public
improvements alone $4,000 more than the
entire revenue of the WaterWorks ana
street departments, from which the money
should be drawn. It means that after
the running expenses of these depart
ments are deducted there viii be left un-
paid at the end of the year bills amount
ing to S230000, which will eat up the 1898
street fund without allowing anything
with which to run the department
The general funds of the city on June
% were Overdrawn SaB.OJJ- Part OF this
overdraft is explained by the statement
made above. But the bills for this work
are just beginning TO come III and the
city will soon be sWamped with them
Then the contingent fund is Overdrawn
$4,000. This is the fund out of which
the city's actual running expenses are
all paid.
The treasurer reports that on June 30
in the special funds derived from the
was but $4,000, with $4,000 in warrants
outstanding against it.
Then there is the item of SZ,S06,365 worth
of work planned which remains I'M
touched. Notice Of intention in all cases
has been published, but nothing done.
Burden of Taxpayers.
The city is in the position Of a man
who remOdels his house at a cost OF S, coo
and draws a salary of $1,000 year and
has no bank account. The administra-
ton perceived the need of Improvements.
Becoming saturated with the idea that
the only way in which it could perpetu-
ate itself was by going ahead and plan
ming work which would be a burden for
a city of four times the size of Salt Lake,
it has plunged the municipality into debt
and has perhaps for years prevented any
more work being done. and has at least
prevented this until the city under wise
and careful guidance clears its skirts Of
debt and finds itself prepared to i'm
prove itself in a safe and conservative
way aud within its means.
To show the burden which the taXpay-'
eTs have been asked TO bear. a cOmparl-
son of the tax rates which il would take
to raise on a Sf5. 600 900 assessment enough
money to pay for the City's and the prop
erty owners expense in putting in the
contemplated work is of interest. To pay
for the abutters portion tax levy or
Continued on Page 10.