The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1909-04-22
Mayor Scholey 10 Addressing New
Council Declares City Has No
Money for improvements
BIG SEWER MUST BE STARTED
Market Square Must be Completed and
Worked in Hand Finished up But no
New Work Taken on for
the Coming Year

The new Council organized on Mon
day evening. That is the new mem
bers Of that body took their places and
listened to a fifteen minute talk by
the maysf after which they adjourned
until next Monday evening in order
to let the slate makers get busy and
make up. the list Of appointive, officers
of the Council. Absolutely no bust
ness was taken up by the Council In
his annual address to the Council the
mayor spoke as follows:
| Gentlemea
:" comparison with the rate Of tax
alton in other cities, warrants the as
sertion that the tax levy Of 1908, to
meet the necessary municipal expenses
for 1909 was lower than the levy of
any city IN the state of Wisconsin and
will compare fayorably with that Of
any city in the northwest.
we enter upon our duties there
fore with extremely limited means at
our disposal to meet the actual run
ming eyaasnses Of the city for the cur
rent year, condition which will com
pei the most rigid economy on our part
and which precludes the consideration
of many needed public improvements.
1T has been charged that the form
! er. Council exhausted the funds in the
/ tresssa4zs5 s.szs.,efore the erd Of the fiscal
year.
/ During the year 1908 miles of ce-
ment sidewalks were laid in our city,
far in excess of any preceding year,
necessitating the expense to the city
of bringing the streets to grade, there
by furnishing support TIC large numbers
Of our unemployed citizens.
"This expense and the improved
condition of our streets and bridges
the permanent brick cross walks and
culverts constructed; the erection of
breakwaters; the keeping of the paved
streets in better, cleaner and more
j healthy condition than BEFORE the
raising and re-laying Of pavement; the
installation of a system of modern
street signs in all parts Of the city;
the improvements upon the public parks
and grounds necessitated the expendi-
ture of large sums Of money from
which the public at large derive a sub
stantial benefit and our city has been
enabled to maintain its prestige as one
Of the beautiful cities of the northwest
In this connection, we must remem
Der, that in identifying and improving
the streets of the city, the outgoing
Council were required to pay and did
pay something over $4,000 contracted
by preceding Council and for which
no appropriation had been made, for
re-surfacing and permanently improv-
/ ing Durkee avenue and Deming street;
Z more than $1,000 for the improvement
of Rowland avenue and other streets
contracted by the same preceding Coun-
Gil, and met and satisfied many other
obligations contracted for and charge
able to5a former administration. WI
"The people Of Kenosha have jus y
and necessarily complained Of the bur-
den placed upon the1a as tax payers
and as private consumers by the cor
poration which has monopoly of the
public and private lighting system in
our city.
I'VE pay $500 per annum on ten
year contract expiring in August next
for each street lamp, with certain
concessions by way Of lighting the Ii
brary building and engine houses.
11After many months of hard labor
by the outgoing Council and especially
Of its special committee on electric
street lighting, and after many dis
couragements, the special committee
; have induced another company to con-
slider the street lighting question and
, have obtained a proposition acceptable
i to the Council for lighting the streets
for 5 years at a cost OF $4,000 per year
, for each lamp and at lower rate if
), a sufficient number Of lamps are used.
1.-THE competing company has an
) nounced it's intention of entering the
} field for private or commercial lighting
and T recommend immediate action by
the present Council, after due consider
alton, granting franchise to the com