Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-05-16
new STREET OIL|NGLAW
PASSED THIS YEAR
Cost to be Taxed Up to the Property
Benefited, i'm All Cities and
Towns,
CITY CoUNcs t. CAN
oEa,n orLlNc DONE
Cost of Fixing Road I'd to Receive
Oil Shall he Pait@1y the
Municipality

Following will be found me new
law on oiling the streets, alleys anC
parts thereof in cities and towns O
Iowa. This law was just passed b.
the last Iowa legislature, which ad
Journed a couple of weeks ago. witt
this law any city has the privilege tc
go ahead and oil the streets ant
charge the expense up to the ganer
al taxes of the person owning prop
erty benefited.
The City Council meets tonigh
and it is expected arrangements will
be made with Mr.. j. P. Burns to or
der the oil and have it put on the
streets. Mr.. Burns tells us he car
get the oil here within ten days
time, so there will be no hopes fol
Oil until about two weeks. The
weather has been too cold to spread
1t up until the last two or three days
The dust is getting almost unbear.
able, but the only thing we can dc
now is to grin and bear it.
Section l. That cities and towns
operating under any of the forms ot
government provided for by the laws
of the state, may by resolution or
der any street, alley or part thereof
oiled and assess the cost thereof tc
property abutting upon such street
alley or part thereof so improved
except the intersections which shall
be paid for by the city or town, and
to any railmay or street railway com
pany whose tracks lay within the
limits of such Improvement, provid.
ed no such oiAng shall be ordered
unless the same be petitioned for by
the owners of the majority of the
linear front feet of property abuttine
upon such street, alley or part there.
of, so to be improved, or by the ma.
jority vote of the city or town coun
Gil. Such improvement may be made
either by the municipality or by con
u dSt. hC SOoI vi piCpdl tuS
road bed except between the rails o.
any railway or street railway track
and one foot outside, thereof, tC
receive the oil, shall be paid by the
municipality from any funds which
may now be legally appropriated fol
general street improvement purpos
es by grading and draining to pro
vide adequate surface and under
drainage, where necessary to insure
solid firm road bed.
The cost of said improvement by
oiling, except the cost of same be
tween the rails of any railway ol
street railway tracks and one (1)
foot outside thereof, shall be assess
ed to abutting property in proportion
to the benefits conferred thereby. The
cost of so much of said improve
ment as lies between the rails of the
track or tracks of any railway Of
street railway and one CD foot out
side thereof, shall be assessed upoI
the real estate and personal prop
erty of said railway or street rail
way within the corporate limits O.
said city or town.
Sec. 2. Upon the completion o
the oiling, the street commissions
or other officer designated by thu
council shall within thirty t3O,
days, file with the clerk of such cit.
or town, a statement of the amour.
due, if the work was done by con
tract, or if done by the municipality
an itemized and verihed statemen
of expenditures for materials and la
Dor used in making such improve
ment.
Sec. 8. Upon the filing of tn
statement, as provided in section tw'
(2) hereof, the clerk shall prepare
and file in his Office a proposed as
sessment of the cost Of such oiling
and he shall cause a notice Of sucl
facts to be given to al persons liabl
to such assessment by publication o
the same in newspaper published
within the corporate limits OF sucl
city or town, but If no newspaper b.
published within the corporate linn
its OF such city, then by postini
along the line of said improvement
two CD copies of such notice TO
each four hundred (40O) lineal fee
thereof. The notice shall contain
statement of the extent Of the worl
performed, the total cost thereof
that a proposed assessment of tn
cost of such oiling against abuttin
property, and the property of an
railway or street railway occupyia
the part of the street or alley SO I'm
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