The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-01-19
How The Goods Roads Bond
Issue Can Be Financed

<bU Tx AIII(AIINSx
amounting to 100000, there will
be an available balance Of $106,405
for work on lateral roads and bridges
not included in the bonded system.
| At the same ratio of increase, the
assessed valuation for 1919 will be
32.239,319. yielding without in
creased millage $257.914.55. De-
Quoting the same charges as before,
amounting to 100000 there will
be an available balance Of $152.914
for work on lateral roads and
bridges not included in the bonded
system.
4 These figures, remember, do not
include any increase In the assessed
valuation in the county by reason
of the building of 211 miles of hard
surfaced roads, but only the, same
ratio of increase which has accrued
with our present roads. What the
increase will be after the proposed
system of roads shall have been built
and even during construction, is not
easy to compute but results from ad-
joining counties have shown in a
general way that this increase has
been tremendous.
Before closing this article, how
ever,it is necessary, Of course, to
say something about the refunding
of the bonds, for which in the fore
going figures no provision has been
!, made 1t is believed, as has been
said already. that the commission
ers favor the plan of making the
first bond Of 100000 come due five
years after date and to take up $780,
600 every succeeding year until
twenty such payments have been
made, thus reducing the entire bond
issue in twenty-five years from date
This plan will enable the com
missioners to have the use of the
lOlloW duuOuhto, WhiSh 10 thC va -
ance of the road tax each year, after
allowing for refund to incorporated
towns and maintenance of con
victs:
1875 1,422.00.
1917 37,035.OO
1915 6S,2S3.0O
1919-1O6,4O5.O
It 192O-152,914OO or total o
# $376,O59.OO which, II properly .N
= pended, ought to put in good shap
# every lateral road in the county
e In 1921, not counting any increas
% whatever in assessed value and witt
n the same income as the previou
lie year, viz: $257,914.55, there will
it have to be provided an extra expen
IF diture of 100000 for sinking funt
l. This will make the total expenni
re lures 100000 and the availabl
N balance $92,914.
d.
This, it is believed that it Wi
ar easily be seen that the bond issu
IN can easily be financed even withou
m the increase Of single mill c
L. taxes over that now assessed an
that the lateral roads can also /
tken care of much easier than will
out bond issue, because 211 mill
Of roads, needing expensive and col
slant repair, will be out of the wa
for several years to come.
Absolute accuracy is not elaine
,st for the foregoing figures, but
ty their basis has been obtained fro
he an authoritative source, the Co
in structive items are approximate
his correct.
ny Only the pessimist will object
- the verv conservative estimate wi
~ regard to increased valuation al
'0' it should be we'll understood tn
" this increased assessment will n
'o' come so much from the increase
rs value of property now carrying
reasonable valuation as from Ian
now assessed at only a few dolls
per acre which lack of roads are r
now desirable for agricultural a
:" development purposes.
" The taxpayer should rememt
.' that his willingness to pay t
taxes. on which the above figul
are based, is not asked. He is pa
ing mills road tax now. He W
continue to pay that and more vii
out a bond issue and while waltz
until he comes to die for the &c
roads he desires to use now. 7
mill tax he is now paying,
shown by the foregoing figur
with only very reasonable a
conservative dependence on the
ture, as shown by the past, will ia
the care of the bond issue and all
be other necessary obligations. Tt
IN what is the object of waiting
De- Published by direction of the p
ore, Good Roads Association.
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