The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-09-27
REJECT ADVICE
OF BOARD THAT
SUIT Be FILED
Petition for Joining Two Town
ships to- Bring BqHai Taxation
is Dropped.

The city of Rock Island will not
institute friendly suit, as recon-
mended by the county board of SUI
pervisors, to determine legality OF
the county board to establish town
ship boundaries coincideHt with
Rock Island city boundaries in
South Rock Island township.
The board, after considering the
city's petition for joining Rock Is
land and South Rock Island town
ships, referred IT to the judiciary
committee, and this committee re-
ported two weeks ago that il was
not believed to be within the scope
and powers of the board to comply
with the request made by city OFF,
Gals. The board took the stand
that II did not care to take the re,
sponsibility of constituting the law
as giving it powers to perform the
act desired by the city and recon-
mended that the city ask the court
for a clear construction of the law
on the Issue.
Mayor Harry NJ. Schriver an
nounced this morning that the city
would not go to such trouble. He
lIIdL Tic 10 NAN1As NAO
new law being principally the re
writing of the old with minor
changes incorporated that do not
bear upon the issue between the
city and the county board He
said that the supreme court has
ruled that county boards have the
power to perform just such an act
as the city has made request for.
EQUAL Tax Was Desired.
The city made the request for
Joining the two townships to equal
ize taxation, he said. The state law
says that a township must cover a
certain area, and the city contend
ed that after the annexation to the
city two years ago of that portion
of South Rock Island township ly-
ing between Twenty-frst street and
the Moline border and from Eigh-
teenth avenue south to Thirty-first
avenue, so much of South Rock Is
land township was within the city
limits that there wass not enough
beyond to give the area demanded
by law. However, the fact that
much of South Rock Island town
ship hes within the city limits does
not break up township lines, but
the city officials held that Rock Is
land and South Rock Island town.
ships should be joined for the rea-
son that those persons living in
South Rock Island township and
within the city limits were receiv-
ing city benefits beyond the amount
of taxes paid by them
It was contended that there was
less need for big expenditures in
South Rock Island township, as
much of it is a rural community
and consequently tax assessments
were lower. On the other hand
greater need for funds within the
city mean higher tax assessments
against property of persons living
in Rock Island township. which
lies entirely within the city limits,
the point being that considerable
of the tax paid by perSons-in Rock
Island township must necessarily
go for improvement work in that
part of the city which lies within
Rock Island township. Eighteenth
avenue is the dividing line, and
persons living south of Eighteenth
avenue are escaping a portion OF
the tax burden that lies upon those
living north of Eighteenth avenue,
but the citizens to the south enjoy
the same benefits.
All the News-AIl the Time
The Argus.