Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1909-05-11

obligation or debt by any member of
the Council shall be conclusive evid-
ence of malfeasance in office, and for
which such member so voting may be
removed from office.
The claim that against these war;
rants there is property Of the value of
$1,000" has nothing to do with the
case. Assuming. for the sake of
argument, that the rock-crushing
plant is worth the estimate placed up
on it by the retiring council, and
granting further that it is better to
have something than nothing to show
for the Indebtedness created, the cold
fact remains that each and every
councilman voting for any warrant
Indebtedness in excess Of $4,000 plainly
violated the charter when he so cast
his vote, and further made the debt his
own personal obligation instead of
that Of the city when he 80 voted. City
warrants are paid with cash-not with
rock crushers or street rollers. At
one time, Polk County was $l20,000 in
debt. The courthouse lot was probably
worth considerable portion of this
amount, but that did not aid the tax
payers in any way in paying off the
warrants. The county had to pay its
debts with cash, just as the city will
be obliged to tax its property owners
to pay for its provements. The tax
payers will have to 60 down into their
pockets and dig up the money that is
to say, for every cent of the debt that
has been lawfully created.
l said in my message that the
Treasurer's report showed the amount
of taxes this year to be about $4,000,
and that Of this sum $4,000 had been
collected since March l, leaving Il
balance of only $1700 yet to be col
lected. or this $4,000 already collected,
$500 had been ordered transferred to
the Street Fund and practically all Of
the remainder spent, there being only
pl0. % III Luc 0cu0Idl l. unu WhOh OhO
council met last Monday night. L
recommended in my message that the
money transferred to the Street Fund
be placed back in the General Fund,
where it belongs, to the end that the
city might have more than $2S to pay
it's running expenses until the remain
ing $l7OO could be collected, which
will probably not be until next Fall.
AS to the wisdom of this suggestion, l
leave it to the people to decide, when
they are informed that at the last
meeting of the council $9S7 worth OF
claims were allowed, with only 1913. SO
in the General Fund to pay with.
This indebtedness was all created by
the old council in addition to the $6307
warrant Indebtedness already out
standing.
In the letter criticising my message,
the writer says the city has $2S7s.7l to
pay running expenses until next tax
collecting time. This will be true,
when the council transfers back to the
General Fund the $ll55.S 81 wrongfully
placed in the Street Fund, and that is
what J. recommended should be done.
NV contention is that with our finan-
ces in their present embarrassed con-
dition, every cent belonging to the
General Fund should be kept there to
meet running expenses, instead OF
piling up a warrant indebtedness and
burdensome interest charges.
strongly favor a contin uatlon OF street
improvements, but with our finances
in their present condition, 1 see nc
way how we can proceed lawfully ex-
cept by calling a special election to
ask the voters to amend the charter SO
that we can contract a legal Indebted
ness greater than that now permitted
by the charter, and then give the
property owners the benefit oi
the state law that allows them
to pay for their improvements
on the installment plan. This system
would not be burdensome on the tax
payer. and would show an actual
profit to the city for the money ad'
vanced for the Improvements. In view
of existing conditions, this seems tc
me the only business-like course tc
pursue.
In answer to the assertion that the
citv's warrant Indebtedness is only
$500 instead Of nearly $1,000, I beg tc
submit the following showing OF out
standing and unpaid warrants, taken
from the Treasurer's books:
GENERAL FUND WARRANTS OUTSTANDING
Interest bearing.)
Waterworks Extension-due
July l, 1903. 9........--.'..-..S lOO.V'
Rock Crusher and Roller-4
warrants for $sl2 each due
January 6, 1910, 1911. 1912, .,
1918. respectively. y........... S524o.O'
Sewer Outlet warrants for
se43.55 each one-half due
March is, 1910; one-half
due March Is, 1911 Szo'Az'
Macadam on Court Street
warrants amounting to..S 2Ss.S
To which must be added
si2s for warrants drawn
and still 10 hands OF the
Auditor at time Treasurer
made report t)-....-..--.'--.- : Lzo.o
Total ....... ss3O7.7 z
I said above that by collecting all o
the sl7OO outstanding on the ta'
hooks. and adding thereto the amour