The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-02-28
Unique Conditions Presented;
Facts as They Seem.
Property Owners Claim They
Are Taxed Too Much.
Cause of the Long Discussions
Before City Council

The controversy anent the Fifth
street assessment matter appears to
present conditions that are, to say
the least, unique.
1t appears that the board of pub
lie works advertised for the bids for
the original improvement by the cubic
yard, lineal and square foot for the
different classes of material and work
to be furnished and done. Such bids
were received and reported to the
council at the lump sum of $5,2S3.5O,
the board having awarded the contract
10 L. II. Coughan. At about the time
the contractor was to proceed with his
work, the street railway company gave
notice that they would build their
line on Fifth street, and the property
owners at once decided that they
would prefer wider roadway than
thirty feet. They petitioned the
council for the extra ten feet in width,
who acted upon the same favorably by
referring the matter to the board of
public works for a report as to wheth-
er the proposed improvement was nee
essary and proper The board reported
the matter back favorably and was
instructed by the council to receive
bids for the extra ten feet in width
of macadam.
Bids Were Received.
il
Ian being the lowest and only bidder.
This bid is by the cubic yard, or
81 500 for the work complete. 1t
seems to have come to the notice OF
some of the owners of abutting prop
erty subject to assessment that the
bid for this extra ten feet was $1,000,
and they figured that the Improvement
was approximately 1900 feet long, and
ten feet wide, making about LAO
square yards. and this number OF
yards at Sl.25 per yard equals: $500
They Immediately decided that they
were unwilling to pay SIPS per square
yard for macadam street nine
inches thick when brick pavement
with concrete base at least six inches
thick could be secured at a few cents
more per square yard. So they inter
viewed the city engineer in the matter,
calling his attention to what they
thought must be mistake some
where: that there was not material
enough in the work at the price bid
to amount to anything like $l,SOO. The
engineer assured them, so it appears,
that the assessment would be based
upon the price bid per yard, as that was
the understanding the property own
ers had with the contractor before
the extra ten feet in width was asked
for.
What Property Owners Did.
Now the property owners rested on
their oars OH the statement of the
engineer that they would be as
sessed at the price bid per yard. I'M
til the work had been finished by the
contractor and for some time after he
had been given his certificates of in
debtedness against this improvement.
Assessment day came. and the own
crs of property abutting the improve
ment appeared to be heard and then
ascertaincd that the engineer and
board had made up a proposed as
scssment OH the basis of the original
contract of $5.2S35O, plus the $1,000,
or 81 ,0S3.50, less. of course. the sum
of $1,000 appropriated by the council
in the last years tax levy. ..
Some of the parties interested ar
gued loud and long. with the board
and especially with the engineer, who
with number of the property owners
agreed that the assessment of 81 500
for the ten foot strip was about right.
The engineers office was visited by
others who did not agree with this
conclusion, asking Mr.. Haynes to show
them how he figured the extra ten foot
strip would come to anything like
the amount of $500. 1t was agreed
that there was $50 cubic yards of ma
cadam in this ten foot strip, and Mr.
HAYNES multiplied this, number OF
yards bv the total .iof the specified
prices rs per the bids, per cubic yard
and said that the owners OF property
were being benefited by four or i've
hundred dollars by reason OF Mi
Haynes accepting the lump price Of
81 800 for the extra ten foot strip
The matter was presented to some
of the aldermen, who seemed to see
that there was something wrong some
where, and reference to Mayor An
drews was made, after which request
was made that the figures and cir
eumstances be presented to the counci
in open session. This was done AND
the matter referred to the committee
of streets, alleys and grades for then
investigation and report. Now this
committee tried to get some competent
person in the city to take the mat
ter up in vain, and finally decided that
the best way was to get figures from
some competent engineer out of the
xyho would ha Of ca,.rSa unhia sod