Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-06-19
Figures Bearing Upon
Proposed Am endments
To Salem City Charte,

o-Ihat the aDuttlng property own
ers have, in the past, been responsible
for the paving of many streets which
would not have been paved had the city
as whole been paying the BILL
4-That many Of the paved streets
are little used by the public and were
paved for the convenience of a few.
I 5-That large tracts of land have
I been laid out into lots and blocks and
the streets paved lor the purpose of
disposing of the property.
/ 6-That the owners of property abut-
I ting on paved streets will be enriched
+ at the expense of those owning proper
ty on unpayed streets.
! THAT those owning property abut--
/ ting on unpaved streets are entitled to
have the street in front of their prop
erty paved if the city donates to the
property owners off the main travelled
streets the pavements in front of their
/ property.
Question of Finding
( There seems to be some question as
to whether or not the city should bond
itself to reimburse the property owner
where the hard surface pavement has
been worn out and has been replaced
and especially, where the property own
er has been compelled to pay to have
the street macadamized which has been
replaced by hard surface. There are
some people, however, who urge that if
the city is to pay for the new pavement
so that the abutting property owner
will not be out anything except his gen
eral taxes along with the rest of the
taxpayers, that the city should also re-
imburse all property owners who have
70
whether it be hard surface paving or
macadam, and also interest on the am
cunt paid since the city has had the
use of the money,
The conditions here now are much
dillerent from what they would be If
the city were just beginning to pave the
streets. In such case it might under
take to pay, by the issuance of munie-
ipal bonds, the entire cost of paving.
The money could be raised by general
taxation to meet the interest and in
stallments as they became due. Most,
if not all, of the authorities on this
subject maintain that the bonds should
be paid during the life of the pavement
This could not be done here for consid-
erable of the paving is worn out and
has been replaced while other paving
is almost gone.
General Taxation Plan
In the July, 1915, Municipal League
Bulletin the following is said regarding
the payment of improvement by gem
eral taxation:
.EThe plan of paying the entire cost
ont of the general taxes is a method
which has been quite generally discard
ed in most large cities. One of the prln-
eipal objections to this method is that
| it is conducive to log rolling among
city officials, who are besieged with
applications from all parts of the city
for special improvements. Each section
invariably wants more than its share
and the inevitable result is discrimlna-
| tion and extravaganza. 1t also effects
| budget making as those whose sections
have recently been improved want the
budget items for Improvement currah-
ed and those who are after improve
ments want it made larger"
There is a good deal to be said re-
earding the present method of requlr-
ing the abutting property owners TO pay
the entire cost of paving the streets.
On the one hand the owner of residence
property may not be benefited to the
| full extent of the cost Of the improve
ment, but his property is certainly
benefited. Some such system as sug-
gested in the article from the Municl-
pal League Bulletin above referred to
might be adopted. The plan is;
The Combination Plan
| "In view of the objections to both
the special assessment and the general
taxation plans, combination of the
two has been suggested and is in ef-
feet in many cities at the present time.
Theoretically, this combination plan
would seem to solve many Of the prob
lens presented by the use of either
method by itself.
Zone difficulty is to fix proper
proportion to be paid by special dls-
trict and by the city at large. II elther
25 per cent or 80 per cent were paid
by the city at large, it probably would
do away with most of the objections to
the other system.
"In this connection there is one fact
| that might have bearing on the ques'
tion, although it is not recognized IN
any improvement work as far as known.
| This laet is that there is a difference
between the benefits derived from inn
provements in residence and business
sections. In a residence section, the
property owner, as rule, does not
want to divert traffic past his proper,
ty-rather, he seeks quiet and resttul
thoroughfare, the paving of which is
not of paramount importanee On the
other hand, the value of property for
business purposes depends largely on ITS
accessibility to the public at large and
paved street before such property is
iof much greater relative value than IN
the residence sections. Briefly, there
fore. a paved street increases the value
of business property much more than It
does residence property. The question
then arises. should not property adJa-
cent to business street pay a larger
proportion of the cost of improvement
than property on a residence street,
Why not pay from the general fund
IS per cent of the cost of paving bust
ness streets and 80 per cent OF the
leost of improving residence streetsf
Classifying Streets
IN referring to the portion OF tne
cost OF repaving the municipal commit.
4 tee of the Cleveland Chamber Of Com
merce, in the report above referred TO-
says:
eUpon certain down town streets
wher< the business is of such nature
thar the condition of the streets IS an
important factor, we believe the pro.