Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-11-22
PROTESTS PAYMENT
FOR APPROACHES
Judge Shackelford Asks Council
To Investigate Matter-$10.-
900 More Debt Paid

Outside of paying off $4,000 more
of the city's bonded Indebtedness for
street work, the City Council did lit
tie work at the morlng session Mon
day.
Street ordinances for the accept
ance Of the major portion of the Main
street paving were brought up, but
they went over to meeting Tuesday
morning, because of objections rails
ed by Judge w. R. Shackelford to
the method by which driveway ap-
proach to his property on West Main
street had been put down. He told
the council he was not raising a legal
objection or legal question but cues
toned the fairness of the building of
approaches to property whether the
property owner wanted it or not. And
he suggested that if the city had
right to do this, that the property
owner should have been consulted and
have had the privilege of taking bids
for the work and having it done
where it could be gotten cheapest
He pointed out that the approaches
wer enot for public comfort and con-
venience but solely for the use of the
property owner affected, and he ques-
toned whether the council as fair
business men would say that he should
be compelled to pay for work which
was done by the contractors without
his knowledge or consent, and that
it should be a lien on his property,
The Judge said he had no criticism
of anyone or any work done and ne
is not appealing to the law. but was
putting up the matter to the coun-
cilmen as fair business men. He
thought that if the city had narrowed
the streets and then built the ap-
proaches, it should pay for them.
Attorney9'J. J. Greenleaf said that
the council should Investigate the
question. He had no >doubt abou'
the legal rightaof the city to require
the work toe be, done, or to- narrow
the streets, he said, but it is cues
ton to consider as to the fairness o.
compelling the property owners tc
pay for the new approaches. He
saidyho@eYer,o that it had certainly
been an accommodation to- the pro
perty owners. .sol.
At this point Judge ,ShackelforC
said he was willing tonleave the en-
tire matter to Judge Greenleaf, who
had been acting as adviser to tho
city in the streets matters, and sug
gested that he look up the law. anc
advise with the councilmen as to the
fairness of the proposition from al
algleS.
p Mayor Evans asked to whom tho
I pproaches were valuable, and said
they certainly were valuable only t;
property owner for whom they haC
been built.
City Engineer Crecelius pointed on;
that he had gone ahead with the
work. He said that by narrowing
the streets a little, lot of money
had been saved to the adjacent pro-
rerty owners, much more than the
cost of the approaches now amounts
to. lie saiG that the city was pay
ing one third of the cost of the ap-
breaches rs well as the street work
and he considered that because OF
that ii Lac the right to bu;ld them
where the cid approaches were re-
moved. he said that under the con-
tracr the concrete approaches only |
cost % cents square foot while the |
lowest he had seen this sort Of work |
done for in Richmond by private !
contract was 80 cents.
After cnle informal discussion the
council decided. to defer action On the |
ordinance until Tuesday morning.
Protsest were read from j. Wi
Crooke and j. H. Dean that man
kUle covers on West Main street i
were not fitting tightly and were
causing a lot of noice when autos
passed over them.
The fire alarm siren was rejected !
early in the session. 1t had been
put in OH 80 days trial. 1t W.. de-
cided that the noise it makes is not
Alarming, so the old bell
tower will be repaired, and an electric
automatic Taper installed.
The $4,000 in paid street bonds |
were ordered burned, thus substanti-
ally reducing the city's street debt.