Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-15
IAk0NA PARK DEfERS;'
new Street ORDINANCE
Improvement Measure Is Referred
Back to Committee by thss
Town Council.
Opposition to Two-Thirds Being
Charged to Auditing Property
Causes Delay in Plans.

After a long discussion of an ordi-
lance assessing the cost Of the Inn
proyement of roadways and streets
against abutting property owners, DUR
ing which time protests were present.
ed by residents and taxpayers, the
town council Of Takoma Park, Md.
last night voted to resubmit the meas
ure to the ordinance committee, with
instructions to .redraft it.
The hearing was held last night at
o'clock in the Takoma Presbyterian
Church. Mayor s. w. Williams pre-
sided.
The ordinance was prepared by a
committee composed of Councilmen F.
L. -Lewton. chairman; E. S. La Fetra
and II. F. Taft, and was introduced by
the chairman of the committee.
The proposed ordinance provided in
general that two-thirds of the cost of
the Improvement, excluding the cost in
the spaces covered by the intersections
of Streets shall be assessed against
the abutting real property which shall
be found to be specially benefited by
the Improvement, according to the
linear frontage thereof. and one-third
of the cost of the improvement be-
tween the street intersections and the
cost OF improving the spaces of the in
tersections shall be payable from the
general revenues of the town.
Time for Payments.
The amounts assessed are to be pay
able as follows: One-fifth upon COM
pletfon of the work, and one-fifth
annually thereafter until the entire
amount is paid; and the deferred pay
ments shall bear interest at the rate
of per cent per annum from the date
OF completion ofathe work until paid.
w. W. Dyar, a. former member of the
council. and one Of the pioneer resi-
dents of the park. protested against
the adoption OF the proposed measure,
81 hich. in his opinion, was unfair, IN
Just and unnecessary. He objected to
any change in the present method of
street improvement, which. had been
followed since the incorporation of
the town. DR.. H. M. Bennett of East
'ern avenue also objected to the ordi-
nance.
r. s. Cyphers protested because he
thought that it wasg In the nature of a
discrimination against the taxpayers,
while Charies.,Ss Miller declared that
by the adoption of such an act that
property values Seould be greatly af-
fected.
j. W. Shade, who would be affected
to the extent of 1000 feet. of prop
erty in the park, favored the measure.
remarking that the property owners
whom he represented, in addition to
his own property, would take advan-
tage of the passage. of such a, meas
ure and request the Improvement of a
number of avenues. Other speakers
were Homer Query and Lisle Nor
rison.
Grabin Urges Measure.
Councilman L. r. Grabi1l addressed
the meeting, giving a brief history
of the improvements of the town and
the advantages OF the passage af the
ordinance The total cost of the i'm
psovement of all the streets would
approximate between $4,000 and $780,
600. The total expenditures for macad-
ami1ing the streets, he said. where
traf1c was heaviest would amount to
about $1,000. BY the passage of the
measure he said that the town would
within the next five or six years be
provided with splendid thoroughfares,
and in his opinion action should not
~ deferred. The revenues of the town,
he said, were not sufficient for gen.
eral improvement of the streets. The
cost Of construction of, macadamized
streets with cobblestone cutters would
% approximately, $3.50 per running
foot.
Several members of the council were
in favor OF the measure me- san.; While others
The report Of Town Treasurer Ben
g. Davis for the month Of August was
submitted and approved by the coun-
ell. It showed receipts from special
and general taxes, water rents, per-
mits, etc, amounting to S1,148.43.
which with the balance on hand of
$6,357.5s, made total of $7.506.02. The
expenditures during the same period
for salaries, street work, lighting, wa
ter and pumping system amounted to
s7s5.4o. leaving net working balance
Of S6,770.62: