Minutes 02/13/1912 - Laserfiche WebLink

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February i3~ 1912~ "Portsmouth, Va., i3~ Feb.~ tglE. ~The Council. ~Gentlemen:-- ~¥ou are respectfully asked to lay a new floor in the rear part of the Police Station. "The present floGr is in bad condition and most, if not all~ of the floor should be re- newed~ . , . Respect~ully~ "g. Davis Reed~ Mayor." On motion, the request of the Mayor was referred to the Public Property Committee. The Mayor returned also-his approval of ~h~ followlng"ma~te~s adopted by the ~Wo_branc~es of. Ci%y UounciLJanua~y 9~i'i-16, ~91~: ' To allow'Si50.00, or as much of the same as may be necessgry, fo~ a gzanozz~nzc szdewa~k in front of A."H. ~oodman's store, out of appropriation for "Sidewalks~ in the "budget" for ~ 19i2. To allow $500.00 for laying a sidewalk on the south side of R~ndolph street~ between First and Second, ou~ of appropriatzon for "Pavement~ Randolph street,~ in th~ "budget~ for 19lB. T~ make available $488.00 for paving the north s~de of Anr~e street, from Cooke to Butler, out of appropriation for "Pavement, Anne street~~ in the "budget~ for 1912. To make available $?00.00 to pave North street, between Pearl and Cooke, out of appropri- ation for ePavement, North street," in-the "budget~ for-1912, T~f&llow $150.OOtto the Health Officer for expenses to Havana, Cuba, out of appropriation to Board of Health in the "budget" for 19lB. To allow $183. B6 to Almshouse Department, to pay bills held up for lack of appropriation, out of appropriation-for same.in the ~budget~ for 191~. ~ . .~ .To ~1[ow~$168.63 to'P~blzC Prpper~D~par~ment,. ~opaym.O~s.nelGup ~6r lackofa~prgpri- ation[ eut~ of. apD~opria:~ion £o~.sa~ein~thet~budget~[ffOr 1912. To'~~ r~ riate SE 300;00 for a Six Circuit Standar-d Switch Board~ in the "budget~ for 191E. PP P ~ To make award~to H. M. Lucas to move the "Armistsad house," next to the courthouse yard, back from its present location. To make award to Nathan Crockin, Inc., to furnish the City Jail with i00 mattresses at $1.05 each, and 75 blankets at ~.90 each. To borrow $14,631.75 of the Sinking Fand, to meet general City expenses. To allow $~8@.34 to Fire Department, to pay bills held up for lack o£ appropriation, out of appropriation for s~me in th~'~budget~ for 191E. Td authorize the zssue of $37,500.00 of bonds for the Sixth and Seventh Wards each, for Street ImProvements in said Wards. The "budget" of anticipated receipts and expenditures for 19lB, with exception nSted be- low. He disapproved of the following resolutions: "To authorize the City proper to issue $100~ 000o00 of bonds for Street Paving." "To se~ aside in the 'budget' for 191E $5,000.00 for the Board of Wa~er Commissioners." With regard to disapproval of the issue of $100,000.00 of bonds he gav~ the following ~i disapprove of the issue of $100,000 of bonds for street paving because the city hasalready expended far more than other cities of like Size for paving, which o~her cities h~ve assessed values far in excess per capita of this c~ty. Values or traffic do not ~ustify' the expenditure of so much additional money. "~While it is necessary to pave Glasgow street, and~in my opinion,Chestnut street, and while bonds wzll have to be issued to nay for paving already done, contraet~-zn excess o~ the sum received from the last issue of bo~ds havi~g been made ~the city now ~wing to the con- tractor in round numbers some $~l~OOGand having less than $11~O00 to apply on this deb~ bout $?,000 to be returned from the General Fund and $~000 now ~o the credit of the Paving Fund~ ~nd will have to provide funds to pay.for the pavzng of First street~ $17,0'00 or there~ abouts), yet by using a che~per material than that %sed on the streets recently, paved/ it s~ould_ not require much, if any, over $50,000 to settle for paving now done and contracted for~ and for the paving of Glasgow and Chestnut streets. "If there is to be further issue of bonds~ then they should be issued ~o reduce th9 float- ing debt of the city to th~extent of at least $50~000, Which de~t was ~ade to pay for the. A=- mistead lot, street extensions, paving, incinerator~ and for other publzo works usually' paid for out of the proceeds of bond issue. · "If the $100,000 of bonds are zssued the city~ or the old part of the city~ will be left with a borrowing capacity of less than $68,000, which is over $45~000 less ~~han z~s~d~bt~ than its bonded debt~ and provision has been made to reduce this debt but $5,000.00. "Januax'y 19~ 1912. And for disapproval "HespectTally~ Davis Reed, Mayor° of appropriation of $5,000.OOfor Board of Water Commissioners, the following: ~Alt of the items in the above list of anpropriations for the year ending December o~ $5~000 to the Water Commzss~oners~ wh ch 31, 191~ are approved, except the appropriation ~ - ' ' "' i said appr~oriation is not approved. "The City.. in my opinion, has_ no ri~ht~ to app-roDriate any money for. a municipal, water works if ~he cost tne~eo~ zs ~o exceed $600~000, untzl and un,ess the qualzf~ea vo~ers au~nor~z~ an additional bond issue. ~The city should appropriate no money for the uss of the water commission~ until it in- forms the Council that it can make good its guarantee made by its Chairman~ in the columns of The Portsmouth Star~ January l?th, 1911, which guarantee was that ~ths city could be supplied with water in less than two years at prices proba!oly one-half of the price they are now paying for it and at very little expense to the municipality, that a municipal plant can be operated