The Ocala evening star., 1915-10-06
LOCAL LEGISLATION
CITY COUNCIL HAD A LONG AND
BUSY SESSION TUESDAY
EVENING

members present: Messrs. Me1eft,
chairman; Tompkins, Knight, Roess,
Smith, Nash and Fausett.
The minutes of the last regular and
one extra session were read and ap-
proved.
Col. r. A. Burford, division counsel
for the A. c. L. railway and Mr.. j. n.
Brand, general superintendent for the
road, were present in the interest of
the ordinance to require the road to
pave with vitrified brick certain por-
I tions of Osceola street, which was up
for its third and final reading last
night Mr.. Burford asked to be heard
in the matter and the order of bust
ness was changed in order to allow
| him to address the council without
! having to wait until later in the ses-
sion. Mr. Burford first asked to
have the ordinance read, which was
done. He then read his formal pro-
| test against its passage and followed
with one of his masterful talks, dur
| ing which he "tore the ordinance all
to pieces" He showed that the or
dinance required the city to grade at
| it's own expense, Osceola street from
the Ocala Lumber & Supply Com
pany's plant to South Fourth street
| to the grade and levels of Magnolia
street, two blocks west and parallel
ing the street, and to make all cross
streets conform to the new grade.
| The colonel stated that this work
would not only make the street and
| all abutting streets impractical and
| injure the property abutting on them,
but would cost the city many thou
sands of dollars. He said the ordi-
nance, if adopted, would require both
the city and the A. C.. L. railroad COM
pany to do the impossible; that por-
tions of the street would be graded
from 20 to 40 feet below Magnolia
street Mr.. Burford recited the an
cient ordinance, where the city, for a
consideration of $4,000 from the old
Florida Southern Railway, forever re-
lieved that company and its success
sors from any liability or expense of
keeping up or maintaining Osceola
street, and that a contract was a con-
/ tract and the city, no more than an
Individual should break it. Mr.. Bur-
ford asked that the ordinance be vot-
ed down and a reasonable ordinance
introduced at some future date, if it
had to be, and the city was sincere in
I ifc efforts fn tho cfr hny
than to merely force the railroad to
do it. He said that the city could not
force any individual or corporation to
entirely pave any street and could
only proceed, under the rights given
it by special act of the legislature and
require the property owners on each
side of street to pay their one-third,
the city paying the other third. Mr..
Brand followed Mr.. Burford with a
short talk and the matter stood at
that until the question of the pas
sage of the ordinance was reached
later in the evening.
Mr.. R. R. Carroll addressed the
council on the lack of drainage at his
property on South Third street and
the primary school yard and other
properties there, and the great det-
riment to health and damage to prop
erty that the deplorable condition
brought about and asked for relief
During the heavy rains, water rushes
down the street and down South
Fourth street, from as far up as Mr.
Meffert's and Mr.. Gerig's homes and
mandates the property of the entire
section adjacent to the primary
school and along South Fourth street
for two blocks. He stated that the
street department could temporarily
remedy the trouble pending the per
) manent relief that was hoped fol
when, if ever, South Fourth street is
Iopened, under the condemnation pro.
certain properties. On motion of Mr.
Roess, the offer of Mr.. r. B. Bullock
to do all of the legal werk necessary
to push the condemnation suits thru
the courts and open the street wa:
accepted. The clerk was instructed
to draw warrant for the court cost.
in the suits and Mr.. Bullock will b,
requested to proceed with dispatch t.
put the matter through. For tenn
,, porary relief, Mr.. Fausett then offer
ed a motion, which was adopted, tha
the street department, in conjunction
with the city engineer, immediatel,
look the situation over and devils
some means of temporarily carryin,
all or part of the water off, and to d.
the work as quickly as possible. Tn
entire council admitted that the situa
ton at the schoolhouse, aside from
the individual property, was bad, an
should be remedied.
: Mr.. ]. w. Johnson again appeare
: before the council regarding his cit
t water meter, and the matter was re
: ferred to the light and water commit
e tee to investigate at once and get
Strengthened out.
Mr.. Roess of the street committe
: stated that some kind of shelte
should be built on one of the city lot