Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1915-10-29
ROAD FUND EXHAUSTED
MoDERNIzING HIGHWAYS RE-
QUIRES LARGE SUMS.
Deficit Created in 1915, Amounting to
$30,702, Will Not Be Exceeded
Present Year.

The entire amount of the county
road fund has been expended this
year in undermining the roads of Poll
county and the indebtedness above the
total fund is assuming such proper
tions that improvements and repairs
on the roads have practically beer
suspended. Only little defects here
and there are being repaired, but il
seems that there is no end to the de-
sires of residents along the highways
and the county court and the roaG'
master are constantly besieged with
requests to spread load Of gravel,
cut down the rough spots, repair a
bridge. or make fill. 1t was the in
stention of the court to bring all road
work to an end six weeks ago, but
these little things have made that in
possible and some work is still being
done in some parts of the courty
Only last week the last bridge that
is included in this years list of nee
essary improvements was completed.
1t spans a slough between Balls Oil
and the Yamhill river and was thrown
open to travel few days ago.
When the amount Of money spent
on road and bridge work this year is
considered, better idea Of the extent
of such work is obtainable. By a tax
levy of 20 mills last year the county
court raised approximately $4,000
for road and bridge funds. This en-
tire sum has been expended and a
life-sized indebtedness has been in-
cured Nineteen and siX-tenths mills
was the total levy provided by the
original road budget last year, and
this brought total of $4,000 TO the
county treasury for the road ful-d
proper and $26,519.32 for bridges and
ferries. An additional A levy was
assessed to bring the total levy up to
20 mills and provided approximately
$4,000. There was an Indebtedness
facing the court at the beginning OF
the year amounting to 30,702.93 and
2.6 mills of the tax levy was directed
to the payment of that sum. With
the addition of other sums the indeot-
edness was cleared up, and the debs
this year is not expected to be nearly
so large. The levy has been heavy
the past two years because of the
fact that the county has been deprlv
ed of $4,000 annually in taxes from
the Southern Pacific railroad company
for the 0. & C. grant lands. If The
courts finally decide that the grant
lands shall revert to the railroad cOm-
pany the county may get lump Gum
of $4,000 in back taxes with the
probable addition of interest at six
per cent. Naturally the county is
more or less anxious to see the lands
revert to the railroad
The official report on road and
bridge work will be issued within
or so, and all sums spent and
received will be made known, together
with the costs of all improvements.
The tax budget for next year will I've
sometime in December by
the county court, and the levy for
roads and bridges will amount to
about the same as that of this year.
The advocates of the new bridge
across the river at Salem suggest that
the county court set aside $50,
from the road and bridge fund to pay
a part of this county's portion of the
cost of the new bridge. If that was
done there would be a maximum of
$4,000 available for road work after
the probable Indebtedness had been
paid off. That the suggestion IS an
impossible one is obvious.