Minutes 02/20/1912 - Laserfiche WebLink

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February'EO, 1912. Second~ out of appropriation for ',Pavement, Randolph street," in the "budget" for 19lB. T6 make availabi~~$488.00 fbr paving th~ north side of Anne street, from Cooke to Butler, out of appropriation for "Pavement, Anne street," in the "budget"~ for 191~. 'To make available $?00.00 to pave North street, between Pearl and Cooke, out of appropriation for "Pavement,'North street," in the "budget" for 191E. · To allow $150.00 to the Health~Of£icer for expenses to Havana, Cuba. out of appropriation to Board of Health in the "budget" for 191E. To allow $153.E8 to Almshouse Department, to pay bills held up for lack of appropriation, out of appropriation for same-in the~"budget~ for 19lB. To ~llow $188.63 to Public Property Department, to pay bills held up for lack of appropriation, out of appropriation for sa~e in the "budget" for 1912. To~aliow $188.34 to Fire Department, to pay bills held up for lack of appropriaticn~ out of appropriation for same in the "budget" for 19lB. To appropriate $~,$00~00 for a Six Circuit'Standard Switch Board, in the "budget" for 19lB. To make award to H. M. Lucas to move the "Armistead house," next to the courthouse yard, back from its present location. To make award to Nathan Crookin~ Inc., to furnish the City Jail with 100 mattresses at $1.05 each:'and 75 blankets at $.90 each. To borrow $14,631.7~ of the Sinking Fund, to meet general City expenses. TO authorize the issue of $3?,500.00 of bonds for the Sixth and Seventh Wards each, for Street Improvements in Said Nards. The "budget" of anticipated receipts and expenditures for 19iS, with exception noted below. He disapproved of the following resolutions: "To authorize the City proper to issue $i00,000. of b0~ds for Street Paving~" "To set aside in the 'budget' for tglB $5~000.00 for the Board of Nater Commissioners. ~ith regard to disapproval of the issue of $100,000.O0 of bonds he gave the following reasons: "I disapprove of the issue of $100,000~of bondsL~for street paving because the city has already expended far Sore than other cities of like size for paving, which other cities have assessed values far in excess per capita of this city. Values or traffic do not justify the expenditure of so much additional me, eye "~hile it is necessary to pave Glasgow street, and, in my opinion~ Chestnut street, and while bonds will have to be issued to pay for pavinELalready done, contracts inexcess of ~he sum received from the last issue of bonds havin~ been made (the city now owing to the contractor mn round n~mbers some~$3t,O00~and having less than $11,000 to a~ply on~th~s debt, about $~,000 to be ~eturned from the General Fund and $3,000 now to'the credit of the Paving Fund, and will have to provid? ftunds to pay for the paving of First street, $17,000 or thereabouts), yet by using a cheaper material than that used on the streets recently paved, it should not require~muoh~ if any~ over $50,000 to settle for paving now done an~ contracted for, and fo= the paving of Glasgow and Chestnut streets. "If there is to be further issue of bo~ds, then they should be i~sued to reduce the floating debt of the city to the exten~ of at least $50,000, which debt was maae to pay for the Armistead lot, street extensions, paving, incinerat~r,~a~,d for other public works usually paid. for out of the proceeds of bond issue. "If the $100,000 of bonds are issued the city, or the old part of the city, will be le~t with a borrowing capacity of lees than $68,000, which is over $45,000 less than~its debt', other tha~ its bonded debt, and provi~ion has been made tO reduce this debt but $5,000.00. "Respectfully, ~J. Davis Reed, "January 19, 19lB. Mayor." of appropriation of $5,000.00 for Board of ~rater Commissioners, the fei- And for disapproval lowing: "Ail of the items in the above~ list of appropriations for year ending Decembe~ 31, 19lB are approved, except the appropriation of $5~000 to the Water Commissioners, which said appropria- tion is not approved. "The City, in my opinion, has no right to appropriate ahy money for a municipal water works if the cost thereof is to ~xceed $800,000, until and unleas the qualified voters authorize, an ad- ditional bond issue. "The city should appropriate no money £or the ~use of the water commission, until it informs the Council t~hat it can make geed its guarantee made by its Chairman in the columns of The Ports- mouth ~tar, January l?th, 1911, which guarantee ~s that 'the city could be supplied.with ~ater in less than two years at prices probably one-half of the price they are now payin~ for it and at very little expense to the municipality, that a municipal plant can be operated at a profit~ water sold at a reduction~ that a municipa~ plant can be built Within the appropriation.' "The commission had the sum of $5~000 appropriated for its use last year and could and may have employed expert engineers who can verify the guarantee of .the commission. ,It has been atated by the Ohair~ of the Commission in the columns of the daily press that a supply of water for a city many times the size of this city could be obtained from Lake Drummond. It has'later been stated in an authorized statement of the commission~ ~hich appeared in The Ports- mouth Star, that it now proposes going to St~nmerton Creek or to some other point other than Lake Drummb~id, or in connection with that lake~ and that the cost of securing the supply will be $~00,000. "The commission ha~ had ample time to d&finitely advise the Council, with data of disinterested expert engineers~ whether or not the city can secure a water supply and build the water works with- in the sum authorized by the voters, ~nd if it can~ not furnish to the Cottuoil such information that will show that such a supply can be secured within the bond limit, t~en more money should not and, in my opinion, can not legally be appropriated for municipal water works. "Respectfully, "J. Davis Reed, Mayor." and the reasons therefor, the Chai= put the "Shal~ the action of the body stand as recorded, notwithstanding the veto of the Mayor "January 19, 1912. Th~ disapprovals of the Mayor having been read, question~