The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-04-03

lsidered.
At the present time, no extensive
are considered by the
council, so that so far as rs known at
present no additional special assess
ment bonds will be issude in the
near future to increase the taxes upon
the people of any particular locality
Ior affect the tax rate In providing
funds to pay the city's portion of the
cost of special improvements. Then
too the matter of special improve
ments rests entirely with the prop
'erty owners along the line of the pro-
posed improvement. IT the majority
of the foot frontage DEGREES that the
Improvement shall not be made, the
councils attitude Is to allow the street
to go without the improvement. So
that 1t will be seen that the question
'of increasing the tax rate by making
special improvements rests with the
property owners, even though the
council should determine upon such
a procedure.
so far as the present bonded indcbt-
edness of the city is concerned, it
Ineed not be taken into consideration
lby the voter in determining which
way he shall vote at the special cleo
ltion. The records of the sinking
fund trustees show that the last sew-
age disposal bond will fall due in
1924. the last park bond will be due
in 1929 and all of the present special
bonds will have been paid off within
the next ten years. 1t is the plan
of the originators of the new building
propositions to have the bonds be-
gin falling due in ten or more years,
some favoring the postponement OF
the date of maturity of the first
bond until 1890. This plan would
postpone the payment of the first
building bond until a time when all
of the present special assessment
bonds and all of the general bonds OF
the city shall have matured and been
paid off. Some even maintain that
by the time the first building bond
would fall due even though the date
of its maturity be postponed only
ten years, the rate of taxation would
be less than it is at the present time.
In support of this contention II is
pointed out that the heaviest expense
which the city will be called upon
TO bear in the matter of street pavings
have already been provided for. 1t
is shown that the principal streets OF
the city have all been paved and in
paving them the city has paid for the
Expensive street Intersections. Now
even though a number of street inn
provements should be desired by the
residents of those streets, the cost
will fall very lightly upon the city,
because the Intersections are already
paved and the city would have to pay
only its two per cent of the whole
cost plus a few alley intersections
But this feature really does not enter
into consideration, for street inn
provements are not contemplated.
The view which is being pretty
generally taken of the whole situation
is that the city, by building the city
hall, market house and new quarters
for the fire department at this time
would be securing the use of these
structures for a period of ten or more
years at cost of only the interest
on the bonds less the amounts which
are now being paid out for rents,
and that is no small figure.
Trus, it will be seen that with the
CONCESSION that the improvements are
badly needed, that they must be made
at some time in the near future and
the showing that the bonded indebt-
edness of the city is not great when
the tax duplicate Is taken into con-
Isideration and that the tax rate will
not be affected in any way, at least
TO an appreciable extent, there can be
Ilittle argument against the PROPOSE
Itions.
The move made by the board OF
public service, Tuesday evening when
it named a commission to have charge
,of the construction of the new
buildings which shall be authorized
Iby the voters, If they are authorized,
was a decidedly wise move. Al
though we have no reason TO doubt
the ability of the members of the
lservice board to proceed with the
construction in business like man
lner and TO carry it TO completion
without the suspicion of ain irregu-
larity, it is well to trust the work to
such men as were named on the