Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1908-09-15
VETOED BY THE MAYOR.

Mayor John T. Lamont has vetoed
the resolution passed at the last meet
ing of the city council, directing the
board of public works to enter into
contract for the construction of the Elm
street and Fourth avenue sewer. The
mayor gives the council his reasons for
the veto as follows
WAUsAU, Wis, Sept IA, 1908.
To the Common Council. Wausau, WIS
GENTLEMEN =
At the last meeting of this council
resolution was passed directing the
board of pubic works to enter into a
contract with Mr.. Clark for the con-
struction OF sewer extending from the
corner of Elm street and Fourth Ave,
running thence north to Maple street;
thence west on Maple street to the cen
| ter of Fifth avenue; thence north on
| Fifth avenue to the culvert This sewer
is 1920 feet long and the approximate
cost is more than S4,300
| [ desire to return this resolution to
the council without my approval.
This sewer, l find, was reported to
the council ia March of last year by the
board of public works with the under
standing that they would make a de-
tailed report later, together with an
estimate of the probable cost. | do not
find that anything was done by the
council about it afterwards, except that
| the appropriations for sewers in the
estimate furnished by the finance COM
| mittee of last year provided 81 900 for
seweryw work, this money being held in
the general fund. You will remember
that in my first message ] called the
attention of the council to the probable
condition of the city finances for next
year and that the 81, 900 for sewers to-
gether with some other appropriations
| had been used up to carry along the
general expenses of the city and at that
time there was some $4,000 or $4,000
of borrowed money to be paid to the
banks for the general fund.
| am willing to concede to the need of
this sewer | believe, that it should be
built. | believe, further, that the bid
referred TO in the report of the board of
| public works as filed in the last meet
ing of this council is cheap bid and
that we could, perhaps, save some
money by building this sewer at this
time but there has been no money pro-
vided by this council for the building of
| the sewer and our expenses have been
so great and the amount of money that
we have had TO pay to fix up the old
| Indebtedness has been so large that |
feel we cannot load the tax roll for
this year with tee expense of this sewer.
| have twice before called the atten
ton of the council to the necessity of
providing additional fire protection for
the city and | cannot conscentiously
agree to the expense of over 81 900 90
for sewer purpose at time when the
city is in danger of conflagration
owing to the lack of fire protection.
$4,000 90 will provide an additional
steamer or if you do not want to spend
that amount of money for this purpose
it will provide for long extension of
the big pipe on Seventh street which
now stops at Mcclellan. The people of
the west side living in the vicinity of
the land to be drained have a right to
complain OF the conditions resulting
| from the lack of drainage and believe
that they should have some relief, but
| want to call yOar further attention to
| the fact that this 36 inch sewer under
| present conditions drains very large
amount of territory being not only the
water which comes from the west hill
side but also all of the marsh land
extending for more than a mile north
west of the city along the Merrill road
| anu 0OTln anu 6dSJ 10 the NlaW farm.
In case sewer is later built extending
east along Bridge street, it may be that
36 inch sewer from Elm to the cuvert
on Fifth street will be large enough but
| we have no guarantee that this sewer
| will be built for many years TO come
and when it is built it will cost a large
sum of money [ therefore feel that
there is some doubt about the sc inch
sewer being large enough to drain this
territory from Elm street to Fifth
| avenue. This city has, in the past built
several sewers which later proved
entirely too small to take care of the
| growth of the city and | do not feel that
we can build a So in. sewer at this point
until we know it will not have to be
| taken up in later years to take care of
the growth of the city which will surely
come to the northwest.
Finally, for the reasons mentioned
above and for the further reasons that
| cannot consent to loading the tax roll
with nearly S., 900 90 extra taxes for a
| purpose which, considered at its best is
| inexpedient at this time, | return the
| resolution without my approval and [
| trust that before the resolution shall be
passed over my veto that you, gentle
| men, looking to the best interests of
| the whole city, will give this matter
your thorough and thoughtful consid
| Grafton.
Respectfully,
JOHN F. LAMONT MaVOr