The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1922-05-26
UNION CITY TAXPAYER
ON STREET IMPROVEMENTS


we notice what the Mayor and Al
dermen propose to do in the way of
street improvements. 1t appears that
| it Is proposed to put the improve
ments on ono or two streets for the
present, we understand, 70 see how 1T
works, how much it costs, etc. We
are sure the present Board of Mayor
and, Aldermen is as fine a body of
men as has held the positions they
now occupy at any time in the past
and we are sure they want to do
right and serve the taxpayers as best
they can, to whom they are respon-
sible.
Inasmuch as The matter is now in
it's initial stage it appears to us that
injustice will be put upon the people
along the line of the streets where
it is proposed to begin, and the in
justice being so great, we call the
Boards attention to some of the
points that are apparent.
In the first place, we want to say
it is very inopportune time to in
| crease the burden of taxation on the
citizens of the town just now, when
everything is undergoing such a de-
preston and it appears money has
never been so scarce in the hands Of
the average citizen and taxpayer as
it is now. We see by the list of prop
erty advertised for sale for taxes in
your paper of the same date that lab
lots are advertised to be sold for
taxes in the city and that the taxes
on the same are put down at ST.
I518.00, representing property to the
value of $4,000. We do not be-
lieve there has ever been so many
delinquents before in the history of
the town at one time.
In order to bring the attention of
the Board to what we believe has an
important bearing on increasing the
burden of taxation now on the ba-
sis of the assessed valuations for the
last tire years since the war was on,
we refer to the assessed valuation Of
city property, both real and personal
For the year 1919, it was $1,715,-
1890; then when the boom struck
the country and values of every kind
were raised, State, municipal and
county, the assessed valuation in I'm
ion City for the year 1920, in round
numbers was $3,785,0O0.O or more
than double the year before; and for
1921 it is put down at $3,247,590,
depreciation of more than a half
million dollars-and judging from
the defation that is now going on,
we should think the present years
assessment would show a deprecia-
ton, if existing values are adhered
to by the assessor, at far more than
half a million dollars less than for
1921, or say not exceeding $780,
600, and then we are half million
dollars above what they were when
the imitation began in 1919. 1t may
be that these are not pleasant things
to refer to but in this connection
they are pertinent and we need not
deceive ourselves, because values ev-
identity are going lower than indi-
Gated above before they stop.
The present bonded Indebtedness
of the city, we are advised, is $118,-
| 900 which will leave the city able to
issue bonds on the present 1921 as
| sessment in an additional amount
of something like $150,000, under
the law, if they see proper to go that
| far. Judging by the experience of
other towns in this State and else
where a former Legislature provided
that 10 per cent of the assessed val
uation of the property of NUM-
cipality is as far as it can go in Great
| ing a debt on the taxpayers. This is
wise, because too great debt depre
ciating values would bring about
bankruptcy, just what is occurring
to-day in some towns and cities in
the land. If the city had been so
unfortunate as to have issued bonds
for street improvement year ago
under the existing law when the
matter was proposed, it would have
required at least SO per cent more
bonds to do the same amount of
work than will be required now; and
it is but reasonable to suppose that
in another year, when freight rates
and labor have been reduced as they
will be, that improvements of this
character can be done for much less
than they can be done now. What
we mean by this reference is, that
little patching up now and cleaning
off, with the use of little gravel
and sand and oil, might make the
city tens of thousands of dollars, if
it would wait only a short time to
start a system of costly improvements
in street laying.
We do not doubt but what the
Board has authority under the law
passed by the Legislature to issue
boDde for Straat announcements lint