Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1916-11-17
WOULD BUY
WATER SYSTEM
City Dads Will Get Facts and Fignres
On the Situation to Present TO
the Taxpayers
ENGINEER TO GIVE ESTIMATES
Secure Data Concerning the Revenue
Which May Be Expected

The town board of trustees of
Boomers Ferry took steps Monday
afternoon at a special meeting to-
ward determining the advisability
of the town acquiring a water and
electric light system. j. w. Reid
and d. w. Parks were appointed
by Chairman Gray as members of
committee empowered to select
and hire a competent engineer to
come here and prepare an estimate
of the cost of a water system. The
engineer to be hired may also be
instructed TO give estimates of the
cost of an electric light system.
Messrs. Reid and Parks were also
recure data on the amount of rev.
enue which is being derived in this
city from the sale of water and
light and power.
When the data desired is secured
and when the engineers report is
made the town board plans to make
payers of the city the opportunity
of deciding whether or not they want
a municipality owned water system,
light system or both. 1t is planned
to have figures which will show ex-
actly how much it will cost to pur-
chase the system of the Bonner
Water e. Light company and how
much it will cost to put in new sys-
TENS and what revenue can be de-
rived from either or both Under
this plan the town board figures
that the people of the city will be in
2 position to decide for themselves
just what is best to do.
The negineer to be hired will be
asked to prepare a valuation of the
water works system of the Bonner
Water q Light company. Beginning
December LIST of this year the water
system of the city will be subject
to taxation under the provisions of
the franchise which was given the
Bonner Water & Light company
some ten years ago.
The board plans to use the report
of the engineer as a basis for the
making of assessments for taxes
against tht water system of the
Bonner Water & Light company.
All the members of the town board
who have been interviewed upon the
subject express themselves as being
in favor of a water system owned
by the city and most of them favor
having the city own its electric light
plant. 1t is safe to say that any
money spent by the city in the eff
fort to acquire its own water anC
light systems would be money wei
invested. 1t would be but a few
years before the investment woulc
pay for itself and then the cit,
would have the option of furnishing
water and light that actual cost OF
using the profits of the two system!
in providing for the expenses o.
running the city. In either even
the taxpayer would be saving money
From an economical standpoint it j!
only a question of whether it would
be better to buy the systems nov
in operation in Boomers Ferry %
to construct new systems. In tn,
matter of the water supply man!
local people favor the gravity sys
tenn and urge that some arrangement
be made at once to secure waite
from a mountain stream rather thar
from the Kootenai river. If tn
city took over the system of tn
Bonner Water & Light company tn
change to a gravity system coul'
be easily made. 1t is claimed b,
lawyers of the city that the cit
could easily bond for sufficient t,
install a water system or buy tn
system now in operation.