The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-04-22
THE CITY
ELECTION

The people of Blackfoot may as
well make up their minds to pay high
taxes for. long period of years. 1t
is not necessarily a sign that we are
hard up, but new towns that are be-
ing turned from sage brush to good
buildings and paved streets, with
sewer systems and water works, can
not be built and modernized in few
years or in a generation without go
ing into debt, except upon one con-
dition and the condition is that the
people who build the town have
wealth that they can bring to it.
The people who settled in this To-
cality were nearly all poor people.
Most of the people who have made
their home in Blacktoot were poor
people; they did not have wealth to
bring here to build the town. Taxes
have been greatly increased and
people have grumbled about the high
taxes. They have great deal to
show for the high taxes in increased
conveniences, increased services
and decreased operating expenses in
various ways.
If the city were not growing we
should not need the additional ex-
penses, but every administration has
to meet added expenses and the adj
ministration we shall elect today will
have new expenses to meet besides
maintaining what we are accustomed
to. ~
Not long ago people looked with
some alarm on city expenses amount
ing to $4,000 then it went up to
100000, then up to $4,000. The
estimate for the coming year is SAL
900 for fixed charges, but there will
be something to add to that which
will probably raise it to $4,000 or
$4,000. There will be little more
property to levy this tax against, but
not enough more to keep pace with
the increased expenses, so every
body's taxes will 60 up.
In looking over the problems that
will have to be met for the coming
year, the matter of keeping the paved
streets clean demands attention. We
have been paying the expense of
hand work and team work to get this
work done, but there are ways to
accomplish this work by machinery
that will probably be adopted. Two
years ago the council considered buy
ing vacuum sweeper, but after test
ing it they discarded it. The next
thing that is likely to be tested |
will be something that is called a !
f1usher; a motorizing vehicle carry
ing 1000 gallons of water with an
extra motor to create the pressure in
the tank so that the water is thrown
ont on the paving with sufficient |
clean the streets thoroly,
dirt in the gutter. Such |
will cost several thousand |
ut it does the work quickly |
% needs extensive add
the sewer system and the |
water system are great,
lot likely that these matters
i've the attention they de-
The next year of two, for the
~ their vote, have decreed
OIL E. They have decreed that
the town shall not make a rapid
growth, but that it shall be hampered
in the development by the lack of
a water system. By even going with
out a water system and putting up
with the present sewer system their
taxes will go up to the limit and stay
up. If they had bonded for a water
system last fall the taxes would be
no hihger and the water system
would be improving.
Our study of the subject of town
government forces us to the conclu-
sion that any city administration for
the next five or ten years that does
not tax city property to the limit of
the law, will not be acting for the
best interests of the town, and if
taxes are to be kept up to the high
est limit it then becomes a question
of what we need the worst in the way
Of # improvements, and for those
things the city government should
spend what money there is available.
Let's accept higher taxes and quit
Qrll m Hing ahOnt II |