Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-03-12
A NEEDED REFORM.
frtt.~. IIo.oIl

| Iowa cities, notably Clinton, are
growing and developing repidly. Ii
public improvements are TO keep pace
without being made unbearable hnan- :
cial burdens for the tax payers-who
Include renters as well as property
owners, for the renter pays his share OF
! any tax lmposed--there must be some
radical changes in Iowa's special as
sessment and improvement bond laws.
Provision must be made for long tenure
bonds and for more equitably spreading
special assessments according to bene-
| fits
| Before the present session Of the
Iowa legislature adjourns. Clinton, IN
| CO. operation with other cities, of the
first class, should make strenuous ell
forts to secure consideration of those
reforms by the legislature. Clinton is
vitality interested. The coming two
years promise big things for the city.
Public improvements probably will be-
come necessities. The cost of these
improvements should be apportioned
under more equitable laws than those
| now in force.
The changes should be such as TO put
Iowa laws in accord with sound busi-
ness principles. A good business man,
| financing project, calculated to bene-
| At. not only himself. but in the main,
an unknown posterity in which he might
or mish hi not be benevolently Interested,
would not so arrange the obligation
that he would carry the whole burden.
but would spread out the cost so that
the responsibility would he proportion
q, sa1
That principle being SOUND in pri-
vate business, it muse he even more
applicable in public business, The pup-
lie improvements made today VIII
benefit the present tax payer but
comparatively few years But the use
fulness OF the new sewer. constructed
this year. will be enjoyed by the tax
payer of the future for perhaps 90 or
so years; the benefits of the new paw
ing OF today will be enjoyed probably
40 years. Under" present methods OF
financing public improvements. the tax
payer OF the future pays nothing for
the benefits he receives.
Lack OF adequate funds is haTdscap :"
ping Clintons park board. and for that,
matter every other park board in the
state. in making park improvements
which would be enjoyed BY future resi-
dents for generations to come.
Long tenure bonds would make pos
sible more sewer, paving park and
other Improvements WITHOUT imposing
an unbearable burden on the tax payer
of today. or upon the Taxpayer of the
future. The bonds should extend over
a period approximately o-thirds 81
the life Of the improvements. Thus paw,
Ing bonds should extend over about Is
years and sewer bonds over approx
mately 40 years. The annual payments
would be 80 small that they would
hardly be noticeable.
There is another phase of the present
special assessment laws. making it
possible to assess practically the entire
cost Of paving TO abutting property,
that Is matitestly unfair. Paving is
more particularly special benefit 10
the city, as a whole. to the city's traf-
&c. than to the owner Of property,
especially residence property abutting
the Improvement. More OF the burden
Of cost therefore, should be shared by
the city in general. =, NV
There should be more equal distri-
button, according to Benefits. This
might be accomplished through the is
sue of long tenure special improve
ment bonds the proceeds of which
of the cost of new paving. whicn share
it would seem should be about 80 per
cent of the total.