Putnam patriot., 1919-06-13
SETTLE HARRIS
ESTATE MATTER

some years past, was brought to set
Element at a special meeting of the
common council Tuesday evening.
The settlement Las to do with agree
ments entered into when the sewer
was installed, part of which goes
through the estate over which the
city required an easement and also
the deeds to some property. The
situation is made clear in the follow
ing report of the committee to the
council, which was adopted:
June 10th, 1919.
The Mayor, and Common Council,
City of Putnam
Your committee appointed to in
| quire into the matter of sewer taxa
ton against the Thomas Harris Es-
tate reports as follows
That they have served more than
four years, during which time they
have examined all the papers in the
case, considered all the facts availa-
BILE, and have held several conference
es with Mr.. Stephen Harris of Provi-
dence, representing the estate, at
which they have tried to reach sat
| isfactory settlement. They now rec
ommend that the Thomas Harris Es-
| tate be taxed One Thousand Dollars,
as its share of the special sewer tax
es imposed by the city to pay for the
building and extension of the sewer
| system. The cost to the city was
| about 1925, 900. and there remains to
be paid of this amount approximately
100000. The approximate amount
which the Thomas Harris Estate
would be obliged to pay covering a
period of twenty-five years, which
was the life of the sewer bonds,
would be in excess of $4,000. The
abatement of more than $4,000 is
| recommended by your committee in
consideration of the free right of way
of the sewer now built over the land
owned by the Thomas Harris Estate
and for land to be decided to the city
by the Thomas Harris Estate on
which to erect a sewer pump house.
From letters and other papers
which are attached to and made
part of this report, and from state
ments made by DR. Harris, the COM
mittee is convinced that Mr.. Harris
believed that the property was to be
| tIltlitlN SACiHHt iAOil SN"SA
in consideration of his giving the
city the right of way In letter un-
der date of August Goth, 1910, to
Mr.. ]. F. Carpenter, then City At
torney, he said that he would give the
city permission to build the sewer
over the Harris property with the I'M
Outstanding that the estate would be
exempt from taxation. The city laid
Il. . L. IIN.s lot,I htrt
the City Council never accepted Mr..
Harris proposition. In his confer
ences with the committee, Mr.. Harris
has maintained that the laying of the
sewer on the Harris property was vir-
tually an acceptance of his PROPOSE
ton, that he would not have given
permission except on those conditions,
and his refusal would have entailed
considerable delay in the building of
the sewer until condemnation pro-
ceedings of the assessments of bene-
fits and damages were completed, and
that aside from the natural objections
to having the sewer on private prop
erty, that the sewer main was ex-
tended alongside and close to the
Harris trench north of Pomfret Street
and would be constant menace, as a
break in the sewer would mean that
the sewer would flow into the trench
entailing serious damage; and there
would also be a constant danger of
the water Escaping" through and I'M
dermining the trench wall
Litigation to determine the actual
amount of assessment, or damages,
would be costly both to the City of
Putnam and the Harris Estate, and
your committee is of the opinion that
the settlement is recommended is fair
to both parties. We, therefore, sub
nit and move the adoption of the fol-
lowing vote -
Voted That the Common Coun-
ell of the City of Putnam abate all
taxes for sewer assessment in excess
of One Thousand Dollars against the
Thomas Harris Estate to pay for the
building and extension of the sewer
system of the City of Putnam, the
cost of which was about $l25,O00 and
of which there still remains to be paid
approximately 100000. This abate-
ment is made in consideration of the
right of way for the sewer mains now
laid over the Thomas Harris Estate,
and also for the deciding to the city
of a plot of land near the Arch
Bridge, of 50x100 feet on which to
build sewer pump house.
1t is understood that this resolu-
ton does not exempt the Harris Es-
} tate from taxation for sewers now
under construction, or which may be
built in the future.
OF the said One Thousand Dollars,
Two Hundred Fifty Dollars are now
} due and payable on or before July
1st, 1919, the remaining Seven Hun
bred Fifty Dollars to be paid in an
nual installments of $3.50 for pc
riod of twenty years, unless, if by
some future arrangements between
the City of Putnam and the Thomas
Harris Estate, its heirs or assigns, the
total amount due at such time shall
be paid in full and the above annual
tax of $3.50 be thereby cancelled.
This resolution to be effective after
its passage and after the delivery to
the city by the Harris Estate of the
above mentioned right of way and
deed to the land.
JOHN G. JOHNSON,
GEO. L. PADGETT,
CHAS. A. RICHARD,
Special Committee.