The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1919-09-05
TO THE VOTERS AND TAX PAY.
Frs OF BOURBON COUNTY


in the local papers wherein argu-
ments are presented against the road
tax, and We deem it advisable to
answer the advertisements.
In the first place, there are two
separate and distinct questions to be
voted upon and each question will be
on separate ballot. One is, the bond
issue, and the other is the twenty
cent road tax. =
If both carry, there can only be
one levy of twenty cents on each one
hundred dollars of assessed property
in Bourbon County. The FISCAL
Court can elect to use, the levy be-
tween the two, but the Constitution
prohibits any additional levy in ex-
cess of the twenty cents.
One point raised in the advertise
ment is that the farm landSbf Bour-
bon County will be increased for tax
alton ten dollars per acre for next
year. There is about one hundred
and eighty thousand acres of land in
Bourbon County and at ten dollars
per acre increase, this will increase
the assessment one million eight
hundred thousand dollars. The pres
ent road tax rate is twenty-five cents
on each one hundred dollars of the
assessed valuation and the increased
road tax, therefore, on account of the
increased value of land, will produce
forty-fve hundred dollars more for
road purposes than produced hereto
fore. This increase will not repair
over one or two miles of water-bound
road at the present price Of
labor. In addition thereto, it has
been proven by experience in this
county that water-bound macadam
will not hold up under Automobile
traffic. All road departments advise
the surface treatment of oil-asphalt,
in order to hold the top surface Of
the roads. This treatment is now be-
ing used on the Paris and Lexington
pike and on the North Middletown
pike.
The Fiscal Court deemed it best to
preserve these last two roads COM
pleted. Without this treatment these
roads would go to pieces within a
few months and money spent in
them would have been vast
ed. This oil asphalt treatment will
prevent the roads from going to
to pieces. Therefore, the treatment
given to these roads was not for the
purpose of favoring one section over
the other, but for the purpose of pre-
serving that which had been paid for
by the tax payers of Bourbon County.
There has for the past few years
been an argument made that the
North Middletown pike is a favored
road, and this advertisement at
tempts to revive the old argument,
but, as a matter of fact, the road
leading from Paris to North Middle
town is the only pike in the North
precinct which has re-
ceived any repairs whatever in the
past fifteen years. The side pixies in
this precinct are in a deplorable con-
lition.
Furthermore, under the building
program these two pixies which have
been surface treated will probably
De the last two pixies to receive the
road material, should the
.oad tax carry, for the very reason
hat the other main roads are in more
need of immediate work.
The advertisement also attempted
% create prejudice against money
enders. 1t is true, if bonds are voted
money must be borrowed and the
money will be borrowed upon the
ponds sold, and the bonds will be sold
It competitive bids and the best bid
will be accepted.
Money lenders can procure all the
bonds they wish at be-
ow par, and they are not personally
Interested in the road building of
Bourbon County, for lin all probable
ty these bonds will be sold to peo-
Die living in some of the larger cities.
Another argument in the advertise
1l6h1C Stdlcu ludC tuO ioNoA OSoA
desired to shift the responsibility of
he. roads, and thereby appointed four
Dad commissioners. These four road
appointed, are all
business men with character above
They agreed to devote
heir time to the interests of Bour-
,on County without charge. The
Fiscal Court invited the taxpayers
If Bourbon County some several
months ago to name an Advisory
to meet and confer with
he Court upon the road question:
and this was done for the following
reasons:
First, the Fiscal Count realized the
of maintaining the
roads of Bourbon County with its
present funds, and they wanted the
business men of the county to become
interested in the proposition in or
Ter that they might fully under
stand that the road building of
Bourbon County was the biggest
business proposition now before the
people of the county.
co.