San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-12


adopted Section 80 of Article XVI of
the constitution. This section author
ICES the organization of reclamation
and conservation districts, and au-
thorizes such districts to issue bonds
the amount of bonds that may have
been previously issued by any cor
porate body having jurisdiction of any
territory that ,may be embraced within
the boundaries Of such districts, for
the purpose of conserving supply of
water and for the purpose of flood
control, etc. The only limitation upon
the power to issue such bonds is that
the proposition must be submitted 10
the vote of the property taxpayers resi-
dent IN such district, and the adoption
thereof by a majority vote.
This provision of the constitution
has been put into effect by legisla-
ton, which is embodied in Chapter
Four of Title u Of the present Re
vised Statutes of the state.
Under this statute, such district
may or may not include cities and
towns within its boundaries, and it is
called a Fresh Water Supply Dis
trict."
The power of eminent domain is
conferred upon such a district as to
| any property, public or private, with
certain exceptions; and the district
can acquire any such property neces-
sary for the purposes of the district
| whether such property be situated
| within or without its boundaries.
The taxing power of such a district
| Is not limited to two and one-half
per centum of the amount of the value
Of the taxable property within the
district in any one year as is the case
with cities having more than 5000
inhabitants.
character of the work proposed by the
engineers to afford flood protection to
| the city nor with their estimates OF
the cost of such work save the state
ments published in the newspapers
that such cost is yariously estimated
at from $3,000,Q00 to $5,OO0,O00; but
the writer will hazard the prediction
that even if the city charter should
be amended so as to authorize the is
suancc by it of an additional amount
of bonds, and even if the people of
the city should be induced to vote for
the issuance of such bonds, still the
amount that can be issued and keen
within the limit of two and cne-half
per centum of the value of the taxable
property within the city, would be in
adequate to procure sufficient funds to
defray the cost of the work necessary
to provide efficient protection to the
low-lying part of the city against
floods.
Besides. since the issuance of such
bonds will have to be voted on by the
property taxpayers of the entire city
it is more than doubtful whether an
election will result in favor of the is
suance of the bonds.
The only persons directly interested
in flood protection in the city are thu
owners of property situated within
what may be called the "flood dis
trict" of the city. The owners o
property not so situated are only IN
directly interested. And, when it i
considered that almost all the yer,
valuable real estate in the city j
situated within this "flood district,
and that the owners thereof are per
sons of comparative wealth. it is goinl
to be exceedingly difficult to per
suade the average owner of SINAI
home not situated within the "floot
district" to vote to increase the al
ready heavy burden of taxation on hi
property. The writer does not be
lieve that there is the remotest chance
of such an elections resulting in favol
of the issuance of such bonds If tb,
proposition should be submitted to thu
property taxpayers of the entire cit!
| - L., % he &c ha hands m ,,
TO be issued by the city.
Therefore, it seems to the writer
that, if the owners of property situat
ed within the "flood district" of TIL
city really desire efficient flood pro
lection. the only practicable plan fo
them to pursue is to organize "t'resi
Water Supply District" and include
within its limits, not the entire city
but simply the flood district" of thu
city and the basin of Olmos creek OF
the greater part of such basin. Tn,
property taxpayers within this "Fresl
Water Supply District" can then take
the necessary steps to have this dis
trict issue bonds. sell the same ane
thus procure sufficient funds to de
fray the cost of the necessary work
Without pretending to have any &C
curate definite information on the
subject, the writer is under the i'm
preston that the basin of Olmos
creek is funnel-shaped with the necl
of the funnel near the head of the San
Antonio river, and that the result Is
that, whenever there is cloudburst in
the basin of the Olmos, the water is
collected by the natural drainage and
poured into the city through this neck
of the funnel and that thus the low
lying flood district of the city is sub
jet to periodical floods very dcstruc'
tive to property and sometimes to life
The Information Of the writer fur
ther is that competent engineers, who