The Owosso times., 1922-09-22
CITY AUTHORIZES
$61,2OO OF BONDS
Central Counting Board Also
Placed on Schedule
at Meeting


west Owosso surface and sanitary
sewer were authorized by the city
commission Monday night and quick
sale of the bonds is planned.
A representative of the Detroit
Trust Co., appeared before the corn
mission and told that body that his
firm was prepared to make them an
attractive offer and were buying short
term bonds. He said his firm could
handle this issue at four and three
quarters per cent interest now at par,
the city paying for the printing of the
bonds.
No action was taken on the offer.
The bonds are divided into two
parts, one for $45,800 and the other
of SIS, 400. hTe bonds are serial in
form and the last one is due in 1881.
The commission made provision
last spring for it's share of the cost
of the Improvement in it's budget,
after a bond issue had been twice
voted down. The SIS, 400 bonds are
for the city's share and the rest to
finance the work pending the pay
ment of special assessment taxes lev
led on the special assessment district.
Thus far. the right of way along
the bank of the Comstock creek,
which it is necessary to obtain, has
been all secured, with the exception
of that through the property owned
by the Woodard Furniture and Owos-
so Casket companies. An agreement
is expected to be reached whereby
this will be obtained before long,
Mayor Wright said,
The commission wants to sell the
bonds, clean up the right Of way and
let the contract for the work this
fall, to enable the contractor to pre-
pare for the 2. ofk this winter and
get started as early as possible in the
spring. Plans and specifications have
bean eeompleted, by Hoad & Decker,
the consulting engineers i; ..3.s5 &; ~ A
City Attorney Van r. Pond called
the commissions attention to the
fact that no charter amendment is
necessary to provide for central
counting board to serve at election
time, as the commission had believed.
He read the law, showing that the
commission has the authority to pro-
vide for such a body by either reso-
luton or ordinance. He was instruct
ed to prepare an ordinance for pas
sage in time to enable the central
counting board to function at the
November election.
1t is probable that board of five
will be appointed, and that the bal
lots will be collected at least every
two hours during the day and posi-
bly, oftener. This will make it pos
sible to know the complete results of
the election in an hour or two hours
after the polls close.
The commission decided to pay
those who served on the election
boards at the last primary election
$14 each, while the gatekeepers will
draw SO. Some of the boards put in
nearly "a hours. At this rate, the city
will pay at least $500 to the boards
and the gatekeepers, as each ward
had at least five members of the
board and one gatekeeper, while some
had more than five.
Under the new plan, the election
boards will be through as soon as
they turn the last ballot boxes over
to the central counting board when
the polls close at 8 o'clock, and will
draw pay for 13 hours or two days,
instead of two and one-half or three
as they usually do. The central
counting board, which will be made
up of FIVE persons chosen for effici-
ency in counting and tabulating, will
be counting while the people are vot-
ing, and they will draw pay for only
one or two days of eight hours. The
new plan will cost the city TO more,
if as much, as the old system and will
be more satisfactory, it is believed.
Mayor Wright and Commissioner
Rosevear discussed the inspection Of
hydrants as recommended in the re-
CeHJ TepOTt VI tnt MlCnlSd all lHSpcC-
ton Bureau, which asked that the hy-
drants be inspected every two weeks.
This was urged particularly in the
winter time, when frequently trouble
is encountered by firemen because OF
frozen hydrants. They came to no
decision, however
Representatives of the National
Auto Transit Co., which operates in
terurban buses all over the state,
and which until the passage of an
ordinance placing a tax on these
busses by the city commission, oper-
ated through Owosso, presented a pc
tition signed by nearly every business
man in the city, asking that the fee
be reduced. The ordinance at pres
cnt calls for tax Of $25 for every
bus of rated carrying capacity Of
seven or less and $50 for each bus
larger than that.