The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-07-23
Water Commission Votes
Favorably on Raise of 20
Per Cent on All Rates.
EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER FIRST
Members of the Board Plan to Build
New Intake to Point 1000 Feet
North of the Present Intake and
soundings Will be Made at Once.

A uniform increase of twenty per
cent on all rates charged by the Keno
sha Water Company was approved by
the members of the board of water
commissioners at the regular meeting
held on Tuesday night and the new
rates are to be effective after the first
day of next November. The increase
will be for water sold to private CON
sumers by fat rate and by meter, water
sold for industrial purposes and all
other sales Of water. Before the in
creased rate can go into effect it will
be necessary for the common council
to pass an ordinance fixing the new
rates and the board voted last night to
send a communication to the council
asking for the immediate passage of
such an ordinance. 1t was found i'm
possible to make any change Of the
rates until the next period for collec-
lions as many of the fiat rate custo-
mers of the company pay their water
rentals in advance.
The members of the commission
spent long time discussing the pro-
posed increase in rates and it finally
met with the unanimous support of the
members of the commission. It is
thought that the change in rates will
increase the income of the company to
an amount in excess of ten thousand
dollars .. year The members of the
commission hold that the increase of
each individual customer will be suf-
fciently small that the action of the
board will not meet with great
opposition.
It is declared that in order to com
plete improvements of the service now
planned it will be necessary for the
commissioners to raise from $150,000
to 100000 and it is planned to issue
the non-liability bonds for a portion
of this sum. The commissioners believe
that with the increased rates for water
it will be possible to pay off these
bonds in a period of five years.
Plans for the new intake were dis
cussed at the meeting on Tuesday af-
ternoon and the work OF locating the
intake will be taken up by the commits
sion at once. 1t is the plan of the com
missioners to locate the intake at a
point nearly two thousand feet north
of the present intake. The intake
would run into the lake diagonally and
this change in location may result in
a greater expenditure than was at
first anticipated. It is planned to have
the end of the intake located in forty
feet of water.
Bids for the construction of the in
take are to be asked at once and as
soon as the cost has been determined
the commission will apply to the state
railroad commission for permission to
issue non-liahility bonds to provide for
a part of the cost of construction.
The commission is being flooded with
petitions for extensions of mains into
the territory recently annexed by the
city and in order to make some limit
on these extensions the commission at
the meeting on Tuesday night adopted
hard and fast rule that no extensions
would be made unless the property
owners showed that the company would
earn at least seven per cent on the
amount invested in extending the
mains. One man who owned property
on Collins street was so anxious to have
the mains extended that he paid to the
board in advance seven per cent of the
stimulated expenditure in laying the
mains to serve a single house. Other
houses are to be erected in this
neighborhood at once.
Petitions for extensions on Tanck
avenue, Erie street, South Ashland
avenue, Selma avenue and Albion
street were favorably acted upon, it
having been shown to the commission
ers that the seven per cent return
would be received from all of these
streers. One big problem has already
come up in regard to the new territory
and that is the providing of water to
people living on South Park avenue
People having homes near Selma aven-
ue are anxious to get the water mains
extended, but the cost of extending
the mains to this point would be in
excess Of $4,000 and the rentals would
not meet the seven per cent limit.
1t is probable that the people will
make some agreement among them
selves to secure the extension.