The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-08-03
COMMISSIONERS AND
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
AGREE UPON PLAN TO
PAVE CITY STREETS

meeting last night were waited upon
by committee from the Chamber of
Commerce, consisting of c.. NJ. Clay
ton, A. j. Holworthy and j. G..
Swindell, who presented a plan for
paving the streets connecting with
the county roads. After considerable
discussion an understanding on this
important matter was reached,
which it is believed will be entirely
satisfactory to all.
The Commissioners very properly
made the point that IL the county
tax refund to the city was all
absorbed in paying for the city's
share Of the cost of this connecting
paving, it would be necessary to
raise some money by taxation to take
care of the other streets. They,
therefore, proposed levying a one
mill tax for street purposes. which
will give not only the necessary rev.
enue for the city's one-third of the
cost of paving these connections but
will also provide for some other
street wrk. The representatives of
the Chamber of Commerce thorough
ly approved this idea, and this inn
portant matter will be taken care OF.
1t is estimated that the revenue
from the one-mill tax will amount to
$4,000, or in ten years to $40, 600.
AS the property owners on each side
of the street will pay one-third of
the cost, there will be raised in the
same time from this source $SC,GCe.
This $4,000 will enable quite a
considerable bit of paving to be
done in addition to that actually
necessary to connect with the county
roads.
1t is presumed that arrangements
will be made to have this work done
by the contractors in charge of the
county road construction, as it is
likely that far more advantageous
deal could be made with them than
Will all OtnCI
The secretary of the Chamber of
Commerce furnishes us with the fol-
lowing explanation and comments
on the plans proposed:
The plan of the city commission
ers to take care of paving additional
to that necessary to connect up the
present paved streets with the coun-
ty roads by the levying of special
tax Of one mill is a reasonable one
and should receive the earnest con-
sideration of the taxpayers of the
city. While we still believe that the
principle of the city's continuing to
pay one-third OF the cost of paving
in the residential districts is incor-
rect and inequitable, we have now,
and for some time to come, no other
way in which to proceed in order to
get what we absolutely must have
| IL Lakeland is to continue to grow,
and, in view of the opposition shown
in the recent election, to the fifty
fifty plan, waiting for another char
ter, with provisions along that line,
might bring no better result
The plan of the Chamber of Conn
merce is for the city commissioners
to have the paving necessary to con-
meet with the county roads done in
connection with and by the con-
tractors doing the county work, they
having stated their willingness to do
1t at the same price the county was
paying; the financing Of the work to
be done on the basis of two-thirds of
the expense to be borne by the prop
erty owners on the ten-year certi-
fcate plan, and the remaining one
third to be paid by the city out of
the annual refund on account of the
county road tax. There are, ap-
proximately, five miles of streets to
be paved in order to connect with
the county roads east, west, north
and south of town. The average
price for the work on the nty
roads is about $1,000 per 'e
which includes some expensl
1 bridges not necessary on this partic-
ular work, reducing the averasEe
cost to about $4,000 per mile, on the
basis of fifteen foot surface, maxi
ing total cost, for the five miles
referred to, of about $4,000, of
which the property owners would
pay two-thirds and the city one
fCo,ttruad an paOa ~