Minutes 12/09/1913 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~ecember 9, 191~. "Acting, as I believed, for the best interest of the City, a general meeting was called of representative citizens and at this meeting a~sub-committee, composed of Capt. Jno. W. Happer, Mr. Frank L. Crocker, Mr.~ E. R. Barkedale, Mr. Jno. Howard Hall, Dr. }Jos. Grice, Mr. Nm. Parker and Dr. F. S. Hope, wac appointed to handle the question. · With no other purpose save the City's interest, I have the honor to submit to you this re- port with the recommendation that it be accepted, unless something better is offeredj (Signed) F.S. Hope, Mayor." Report of the Special Wate~ Committee: "To the Honorable City 0ouncil of the City of Portsmouth: . "The Committee herein mentioned, which was called together by the Mayor of the City, desires to sub,it ~o your'honorable bodies the following report: "Some time in 1911, whsn both the cities of Portsmouth and Norfolk were considering the ques- tion cf a new or additional water supply for themselves, the Board of Water Commissioners of the City of Portsmouth, which was~reated by an.act of the Legislature, and the Water Commission of the City of Norfolk, which was appointed by the Council of Norfolk~ began the consideration of the question of the expediency or practicability of the two cities unitings in some way, in a Joint water supply. A number of conferences was had between the two commissions on this subject. Largely as anoutcome of these conferences, the Legislature i~ 191S passeA several acts which had for their purpose the authorizing cities to either unSte in a joint water supply, or one City to furnish the other with water,upon certain terms a~d conditions mentioned in the acts. After the adjournment of the Legislature O~ 191S, the two commissions had several conferences which resulted in a proposition from Norfolk for the joint aoquisitionand operation by the two cities of the Portsmouth, Berkley and ~uffolk Water Comnany and the Portsmouth ~uburban Na~er Compamy~ T~e terms upon which thiswas to be done were no~ acceptable to the Portsmouth Commission, as ~t dmd not think they were beneficial to She~City of Portsmouth. The negotiations between the two Oommissione were then practically broken off. and the Council of Norfolk appointed a 9ommittee to confer with a li~e ~ommittee to be appointed by the Council of Portsmouth, to consmder the water situation. The Co,mncil of Portsmouth, however, never appointed its committee. The nego- tiations were again ta~_en up between the water commissions cf the two cities for the considera- tion of the expediency of a pla~ by which Norfolk was to acquire the Portsmouth, Berkley~and ~folk Water Company and the ~burbam Water Company and fttrnish water to the City of Portsmouth ~d the terrimory within a radius of two miles cf its corporate limits, as they now exist, yhere~fter be extended. After these negotiations hadreached a point where the matte= had taken some tangible shape, the Portsmouth Commission'bromght the matter to the attention of the May~r ~f the City of Portsmouth. Whereupon, the Mayor called a conference of the presiding of- ficer of each branch of the City Council, the members of the_joint Finance Committee, and of the Joint Water Committee, several other members from each branch of the Council, the Board of Commissioners, the City Attorney,.the City Clerk~ the counsel for the Board of ~ater COmmission- ers~ and several representative cmtizens, to advmse with him about the matter. At this meeting a number of suggestions were made am to certain ~changes in the proposition submitted, and a sub- committee was appointed to meet with the Norfolk Water Commission and discuss.these ohanges and additions. This sub-committee had several conferences with the Norfolk Commission and reported back to the general committee the results of thei~ conferences, ~oget~e~ with the suggested con- tracts to be entered into between the two cities, in the event the proper authorities of said cities should deem it wise to enter into an arrangement by which Norfolk was to furnish Ports- mouth with water. At that general meeting the following resolution was adopted: ~ ."That the Mayor be requested to present to the Councils the propositions submitted to this meeting ~y the ~ater commission of the City of Norfolk for supplymng the City of Portsmouth with wate~,'wxth suc~papers as he may th~nkproper to Offer with such p~oposition,, "~co. py~e~ a;iette~... ~.. ~ from Mr. ~At~an HaZen, the water expert emp~o~md· by Norfolk, to the NOr- f~kCommissien, is ~iled rherewith, together with ~he last draft of the suggested contracts and a te%ter of th~Norfclk Commission. "The suggested contract provides, in general terms, that the City of Norfolk is to Portsmouth, B~kley and ~uffol~ ~ater .~.mp~my and. t~e Portsmouth ~uburban ~ater Cemzpany, andto ope=at? the two plants, together w~th mrs owm municipmlwater p!~nt, and to furnish to ~he City cf ~or;smouth~ free of charge, all water necessary for sewers. ~lre -hydrants. nublic ~buildin;s. schools and-ali other City.purposes, and to furnzeh to persons wzthzn the corporate lzmxts of the City of P0;temouth, a~ they nqw exist, or may hereafter be ex~ended, and ~ithin a radius les of sa~d corporate limit~,, water~o~ the same quality, and at the same rates, that is Consumers of ~he Samg class in Norfolk; that the money coming in from the operation ;em to be used in the cost of operation and maintenance, payment of interest for a sinking fund, and betterments, &c., t~ the wmter system itself, none from said~ater enterprise tcgo into the general treasury of the City. of he profits of said water enterprise, the City 9f Portsmouth is to .be paid back, ye ~s, of the mone~ expended.by it in c~nnection with the Por~smonth MUnicipal Plant, for rights of way~ diggiDg canal, and all other;expenses ~neys p ~f~r~ of ~smouth t~ ~ecure it~ ow~ w~ter ;upDly; and a~tso~ to p~v to ~k the incurred by £~s water ~cmmission, the amount to be paidNorfolk, ,.eXoee amount pard tO Portsmouth; Norfolk. to maintain an offige in Portsmouth for ~he ~ti0nOf rater rents~ &c., an mnnual a~t robe made of theoperatxon of the entire water- system ~y a certified ac~cu~nt, and & copy of said audit to be sent to the councils of of the c~ties ~d of A~ltration to settle disputes between the two cities ;rowing out ~ · of Po=ts~outh to gi~e Norfolk~ thirty year .franchise fox ~he use of f~anchise is to be renewe~ e~ch thirty year period for the next thirty years, to make it perpetual. "This-C~ as we~tl as t~e:Water Commission, i~ what ~hey have done hav~ been actuated by and ha~a endeavo=e~ tO have tlhe~s~ggested agreement put in s~ch as e. t~ bot~ of the .communities c~ncerned, and they now su~mit to you the result of their labors for your oameful consideration. ~Ve=y respectfully, Hope, Mayor and Chairman."