Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-08-11
MUCH BUILDING
DEMANDS SEWERS
Councilman Deyine Presents
Plan to Overcome Drain on
Single Years Levy.
COUNCIL FAvoRs PROPOSITION
Devine Finds Section of Code That
Permits 1-MiII Levy Be Made on
Certificate Plan for Five or Ten
Years-could Complete Sewer Work
For New Residences This Season.

as have not been seen in MARSHALL
town in recent years. has resulted in
such great demand on the city for
sewers that Councilman Devine has
put on his thinking cap and, Monday
night, presented to the council a plan
| whereby the city may care for the
sewer demand on a sound financial ba-
| sis, and within the law.
Heretofore the city has been levying
| a 2-mill tax, yielding about $500 each
year, to build new sewers and main
tain the present system. With this
sum but little new work can be done.
In other words the demands for sew
| ers at the present time is so great
that the years appropriation is but a
drop in the bucket.
Devine DeIves Into Law.
! Councilman Devine, chairman of the
| ways and means committee, took 1t
upon himself to consult the statutes,
and finds that section S31 provides how
a tax levy may be provided to meet
just such q condition as now exists in
| Marshalltown - a lack of sufficient
funds with which to build sewers.
Under this section it is provided
that city may build its sewers, and
after the completion of the work the
city council may determine the cost,
and by resolution or ordinance levy
at one time the whole, or any part OF
the cost Of such sewers upon all OF
the taxable real property within the
city. Upon this procedure the coun-
Gil would determine the whole per-
centage Of tax necessary to pay the
same, not to exceed the maximum
limit of the tax, and the years not
to exceed ten. Certificates, the same
as are issued for. paving, would be
issued and filed with the county aud
itor. They would bear s per cent In
terest, and would be as good as gold.
BY this means the sewer funds would
be available at once and would provide
not only the necessary funds to COM
plete a sanitary sewer system and ex-
tend it to the outskirts of town, but
would furnish means to overcome the
indebtedness in the sewer department.
BY levying one mill, say for fye
wears the city would have available, IN
round numbers, $4,000. 1t-would still
have the $1,000 each year, levied In
i mill tax, for the maintenance OF the
present system, and If there was any
left it could also be used to extend
the system. The certificates issue for
the sewer work are not considered UNI
der the law as indebtedness again the
city.
: oh q
commended that this plan bel adopted
by the council, and that work begin AZ
once on a sanitary sewer system,
which could be completed this falA
Should Repair Paving.
Another suggestion urged by Dr..
Devine was that the city take UP the
work Of repairing the paved streets
that are in bad order, especially East
Main, and pay for the improvements
out Of the Improvement fund, and not
assess the same against the property
owners who have already paid for the
paving. The ways and means chair
man called the councils attention to
recent decisions of higher courts IN
other states, which declared that the
expenses for. repairs to paving must
be borne by the city.
Council Welcomes Idea.
The idea of levying on the certificate
plan for sewer building was welcomed
by the council as good way of over
coming the difficulties that now con-
front the city, in providing ade-.
quate sewage facilities for new resi-
dences that are being built. The mayor
declared himself heartily in favor OF
such plan, and it is likely that the
council will take some early action. In
the report DR.. Devine recomme ended
that competent sanitary engineer be
employed to look into the situation,
and estimate the cost of completing the
sanitary sewer system.