Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-11-03
MAYOR HARTMAN
ENTHUSIASTIC.
CITY EXECUTIVE PLEAsED WITH
REPORT OF CEDAR RAPlLi
WATER PLANT.
TELLS or HIS VISIT
Declares People Are Not Heavily
Taxed for Water Services When
Municipality Owns Water
works.

| - ~ 4.
+ After inspecting the books of the
water plant at Cedar Rapids, owned by
the people Of that city, ! am more and
more convinced Of the great benefit;
derived by the people from municipallJ
owned Wat4rworks' stated Mayor
Solomon r. Hartman this morning
Mayor Hartman and City Engineer
Brady returned SUNDAY from Cedar
Rapids where Mayor Hartman ex
amined the books OF the company
while EnJineer Brady inspected the
plant. The officials made the trip to
get data on the municipal owned water
plant as the citizens Of Ottumwa wpill
De asked at special election on
November, % to ratify the purchase
OF the plant of the Public Water Co,
by the city. Both gentlemen speak in
the highest terms of the plart at
Cedar raj IS and their only regret is
that every voter Of the city cannot in
spect the Cedar Rapids plant and thus
secure most excellent idea of the
benefits derived by the people in better
water service, free hydrant rentals and
cheaper water.
Although their stay In Cedar Rapids
was short, they were shown over the
city by Mayor Huston. They were
busy the greater part Of the afternoon
looking over the aterworks data in
the ONCE OF Superintendent Fox. The
Cedar Rapids officials did everything
possible to aid the Ottumwa o. .cials
giving Mayor Hartman the assistance
Of two clerks in going over their books
Inspected All the Books.
I'VE were given free access to all
of the books In the water department
and have complete ab5tract OF figures
OF the expenditures and earnings OF
the plant stated Mayor Hartman.
Superintendent Fox has been at the
head OF the water plant for thirty-two
years during the time it was owned by
private parties and the city and he Is
very enthusiastic over municipal own
ership. We left the matter with Mr..
FIX and he will send me tomorrow an
oficial report on the municipal owned
plant there ! believe that the citi-
zens Of Ottumwa who have expressed
themselves as adverse to the city buy
ing the plant will change their opin-
Ions after they have perused Superin-
tendent Fox's report, +, @
Plant Made Money.
AT Cedar Rapids they charge the
public nothing for hydrant rentals.
The water is free for fire purposes,
for flushing sewers and for flushing
the streets and free water Is given all
public buildings and churches in
Cedar Rapids The valuation of
Cedar Rapids as q city is $24,O0O,0O0
and three and one-haf mill tax is
levied on the people for water pur-
poses. From this levy $4,000 is
realized annually and this money Is
spent in buying up the bonds. Cedar
Rapids paid $4,000 for her plant.
Part OF the earnings Of the plant is
used to pay interest on the outstand-
ing bonds. After paying the interests
on bonds and operating expenses for
the last fiscal year, July /, 1909 to
July L, 1910, the net revenue was
$4,000. The net revenue is used in
making betterments to the plant.
The above figures Of a three and one
half mill levy plainly shows that the
Cedar Rapids people are not highly
taxed for water purpose despite the
statement OF local people who are
adverse to the city buying the plant.
Ii '.The coal bill for the last fiscal year
was $4,000 and the expense Of handling
the coal was $4,000, making total of
$4,000 "A strong argument showing
why Otumwa should purchase the
plant. End the operating expenses Of
the Ottumwa plant would be lower
Is plainly shown by the fact that the
plant runs nine months Of the
year under its own water power while
the Cedar Rapids plant is run the year
round on steam power. Every Cedar
Rapids citizen I talked with was
highly pleased with city ownership of
The water plant.
81 have received letters from the
mayors OF Mason City, Waterloo, Du-
budue, and other Iowa cities where the
titles own their water plant and
their reports plainly show that these
cities each year realize large profits
oif their plants"
J