Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1920-01-02
ORDINANCE RAISING
WATER RENTALS IS
PASSED BY COUNCIL
OTTAWA HAS UNIQUE DlSTiNC-
TON or ACCEPTING BOOST OF
bG PER CENT WITHOUT COM.
PLANT REGISTERED AGAINST
NEW RATE.

As a result OF tho councils unini-
nous approval Wednesday night OF an
80 to $l2 per annum Ottawa consum.
ers, beginning April | p"Xt, viii pay
the additional cost imposed upon them
with the unique distinction OF accept
ing the 30 per cent increase without
a protest having been made against
tho new rate,
This took place in spite Of ample
warming having been given users o,
the city pressure that a comparatiVelY
big jump in water charges was under
contemplation and about to DE pa
through The people were given two
months time in which to consider the
administration plan ror raising rev
enueS which were cut OH by loss o.
saloon licenses under the national DR.
regime, and the unusual thing OC-
CURED that no, formal protest was
raised against the new rate, while
very few. If any. entered complaint TO
tho mayor or commissioners in an
ing the city source OF revenue. the
$l2 meter rental puts the waterWoros
system in position to earn some
money, whereas IA deficit Of 81 .0uu or
more was faced by the municipalitj
owned pumping station during the
year 1888. Beginning April tn
plant will be on Selt-sustaining basis
and Will continue to earn a neat little
sum for the city's depleted Golfers
from that time On.
The ordinance was prepared ami
drawn up by City Attorney Glenn "
Weese. 1t provides tor an increase
Of 100 cubic feet to the consumer on
a fiat me,er basis. The amount for
mally allowed was 500 feet but under
the new arrangement the allowance
will be 800 cubic feet. The minimum
charge Will be 80 cents per hundred
cubic feet in excess Of the 900 foot
Nat rate. A 10 per cent extra charge
will be made on all bills not paid with
IN ten days from The time statements
are sent out.
Aside from these provisions, City
Attorney W'eese made it Impossible
for landlord and tenant to pass the
buck on who shall pay for the watcr.
The use of the city supply, under tn"
ordinance, becomes a lien upon the
property, and consequently puts re-
spcnsibiity for collecting and paying
the tax onto the owner Of the real c5-
tate. The man or woman holding
title to the property is also to be
blamed and assessed for any damage
done to the meter or connections own
ed by the city.
The payments are to be made quar-
terly, on the FIRST OF April, July, Oc-
tober and January, at the rate OF S.
per quarter.
When the ordinance, an exhaustive
sort of an affair covering every de'ail
of the new schedule, was read b.
Clerk Curtis. Commissioner BradlUf
moved it adoption and when a vote
was called the decision in its favor
was unanimous Commits SiOnorS
Bradley, Dougherty, Palmer, -ticklen
and Mayor Weeks all cast their votes
in the affirmative.
The city attorney was instructed 10
draft an ordinance compelling every
consumer 10 put the meters in places
where they can easily be reached by|
readers. The contemplated ordinanC"
VIII prohibit placing any obstruction
on or near the meters. At present
city employees sent out to read tn
amounts OF water consumed are Sc
riously handicapped by having 70
climb into all sorts OF corners and on
of the way places and then move all
sorts Of junk frum the meters be
'fl'l stlni al Ia, n n.
new law is designed to overcome this
trouble
Canal Must Repair Leaks.
Denial OF responsibility Of the /
trouble which is giving residents O'
West Superior street great quantitoS
OF grief as result of Sccpage from !
the Illinois and Michigan Canal find
ing it's way into their cellars by Su-
perintendent Sackett bears no weight
with Commissioner Doughcrty and hi .
colleagues on the council.
The leak, which has been COMPLAIN .
ed against Tor several weeks. accord. /
ing to the canal officers, is due t.
surface water and not TO any breaks +
in the banks.
Commissioner Doueherty. who ha,
given the proposition considerable
study and thought has found to AIs
own satisfaction that the water which
Is fiooding Superior street Easements
west OF the side cut and %" tracks.
comes from the waterway, flows over
the canal commissioners GWn prop
crty and then gently oOzeS into the
cellars to raise ned with the people
that own them.
This Is bluff of Sackett's," said
the commissioner land he thinks he
can pass the buck to the city and get
by with it, Well, for one won't
stand for it The leak is very aupar.
ent and comes from the canal Tho
ditch through which the water flows
is an canal commissioners proDerty
and ] favor letting the men respons
ible for the trouble make their own
repairs"
1t was finally decided to have the
public engineer make survey of the
canal property, seek and positively
determine the source Of the water and
make report back to the council as
\ guide ta its future actions in the
matter The trouble now appears to
be- shaping into lawsuit. and the t
council Is determined to be thor.
)nghly prepared for any eventualitics {
which may arise as a result of the
)elligerent attitude now being ass,lm.
ID by people effected by the flooding {
If their cellars, and acting accord
ngly will prepare all the evidence $