Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-11-11

the price too high. BY guaranteeing 10
the property owner that the cost would
not exceed the lowest bid the city Of
Ann Arbor proceeded, under the Michi-
gan law, to lay concrete paving seven
| inches thick at a net cost of IS cents
per yard.
Such law in Iowa would be good
thing and in cases of a frameup among
| bidders would save taxpayers much
money. However. as G general thing
the contractor can do construction work
enough cheaper than the average city
official to make his profit out OF his
economies. \ law of this kind would
operate TO keep the contractors down
TO bedrock on their bids.
What Iowa needs most as to public
improvements. both as TO street paving
and sewer work in town and road
building in the country is law which
will apportion the cost equitably be-
tween the abuSting property improved
and the public which is benefited. At
first thought the average person viii
say that the public should pay for all
OF street pavement but this is wrong.
Texas tried This system and it failed.
The trouble was tina, there was never
enough money in the general fund to
10 the paving work needed. So long
as paving cost nothing TO the property
owner everybody wanted 1t. Everybody
used mis- pull 10 sc; il ana much paving
thru the politicians influence was laid
on streets which needed the improve
men, less than others.
The result was that property owners
in Texas cities actually raised sub
sc-iptions TO aid the city to pave on
their streets. This law failed because
it did not tax the property for the
actual benefit II received.
We have much the same situation in
cur Iowa cities as to sewer extension.
No one ever saw any money in q sew
e- fund and in nearly every Town
property owners actually loan money
70 the municipality TO get sewers on
their streets. Sewers confer some
benefit 70 the property served and the
property should pay this benefit and
the public should pay the rest II OFT
law would ar2o-rion sewer cost eQui,-
ably between property benefited and
The public We would have more money
available for sewer work Far less
property would he held back for de-
veloPment awaiting sewer and water
main extension.
II our paving law we err to the other
extreme. While in actual Law as inter
p-sted b. court decisions We can as
sess to abuesing property only the ac-
,ual benefit TO that property the Gus
tom has been <o- city councils to look
wise and stick the property owner for
the full COS, Of stree. paving. In cases
of corner lots paved on TWO sides this
has worked a very great injustice and
likewise ii cases o. cheap properties
en- paved streets. BY employing law
yers and appealing from an assessment
2 property owner can usually enforce
justice ana equity, but why require
him TO dghto
Why not recognize by statute that
the whole town is benefited by street
paving ana by sewer extension as we'll
as the property adjacent? Why not
provide by statute that only half o.
pavener, fronting an inside lot should
be assessed to the property and only
fourth Of the cost OF the pavement
on two sides OF a corner lot should be
assessed TO the property? Why not
the same with sewers?
Then as to country road building
why not do as Texas has done? Pro-
/ vide for ::ie creation OF specia! ROAD
Improvement district exactly as we
Tow 90 in special drainage district.
Take il the farms, for several miles
back. benefited by an improved road
and authorize q twenty-five year coun-
ty road bond issue 10 be paid from
taxes levied 50 per cent upon abutting
farms. 40 per cent upon all OF the prop
( e-ty in the road Improvement district
which would often include all Of the
1 taxable property in the city served and
/ 20 per cent upon the county at large.
Texas is actually paving country high
ways with such z law and so could
Iowa The cost would be less than a
voluntary inte-u-ban tax to the towns
for paved roads in the country and less
per annum than the cost Of a $50 auto
mobile tire to quarter section farms
abutting paved highways from their
mail boxes to town.
IOWA OPINION AND NOTES.