Show THAT SIX MILL RATE It Is Voted Down by the City Council NO RATE YET AGliEED ON Karrick Thinks Some of the Fat Salaries Sal-aries Should Be Abolished Simondi Would Maintain the Citys Rep I utatlon at Any CostLawsons Rash I lutlon Expunged Engine for the I Sower Pump WantlanUs Move The city council met last evening with President Loofbourowin the chair and all members present except Bell and Evans LAWSONS WHKREASES EXPUNGED After the minutes had been read Moran moved that all reference to the resolution regarding rumors of irregularities in the granting of certain franchises introduced by Lawson at the last meeting be expunged ex-punged from the record Hardy objected to the motion because of the absence of Lawson who had not yet arrived and who he claimed might wish to say i somethinE in regard to the matter but I Morans motion was put and carried i THE HATE OP TAXATION The matter of fixing the rate of taxation taxa-tion on city property for 1893 having been made a special order of business was immediately taken up At the last meeting a majority and minority report was submitted by t the committee on ways and means the majority ma-jority report being signed by Beardsley I and Kelly as follows We your committee on ways and moans beg leave to report as follows in the mutter of tho rate of taxation for the present year and wouia recommend as follows From the fact that the county assessor In an official communication informs us that the assessment for this year only amounts to J14000000 a decrease of some 9UOOOOO from last years assessment we find hat it will be necessary to raise the rate 1 mill above lass years rate making 6 mills to raiso the amount of our tax receipts to tho amount realized last year We have consulted several or our largest property owners and they arc of the sama opinion as your committee that it would bo Impossible to get along with a less amount and carry out the contracts already entered tered into The county rate is 10 mills and with tho citys rate of 0 mills will make a total of 16 mills tho same as last year on a lobs valuation Wo therefore recommend that the rate of taxation for the year 1893 be fixed by hh council at tho rate of 6 mills on each dollar upon the assessed valuation within the corporate corpor-ate limits S Folland filed tho following report re-port I have not had an opportunity of meeting with tho balondo of the committee to canvass ho rate but am of the opinion that the rats should not be raised over last year nnd reserve the right to file a further report in this matter After the reports had been road last evening Beardsley asked if Mr Folland bad any further report to file Folland stated that he had nothing further to report re-port as the committee had not had a meeting since tho reports were filed PROPERTY OWNERS ACQUIESCED Kelly stated that he had interviewed Walkers Brqs and others and they were of the opinion that the proposed rate of 6 mIlls was all right as it would not raise the actual tax over that of last year owing to the decrease of values A FIVE MILL MOTION Folland moved in order to get the matter mat-ter before the house that the tax be fixed at 5 mills on the dollar which was seconded by Rich Simondi wanted more definite informa tion on the matter and asked Kelly if there was any hurry about it Kelly replied re-plied that the matter should be disposed of at once and Simondi then expressed himself as being willing to pay any amount required to maintain the reputation reputa-tion of the city Beardsley moved as an amendment that the tax be fixed at five mills for contingent contin-gent expenses and one mill for street purposes pur-poses This motion was seconded by Si nondi THE STREET DEPARTMENTS CAPACITY Rich wanted to know if the street department de-partment could use the amount derived from the one mill assessment Siraondi Why 60000 was spent in the First precinct alone last year RichThat settles it I have no more to Bay TOO MUCH RAMBLING Folland thought there was too much rambling work in the matter and declared de-clared that it should have been thoroughly thorough-ly canvassed by the committee before a report was made Kelly was under the impression that if Mr Folland had any financial pointers in stock he should have showed up and given the committee the benefit of them HARDY FAVORS ECONOMY Hardy likened the tax question to death as it must be met but owing to the low price of silver aud general business depression de-pression thought that a 5 mills tax was sufficient THE DANGER OF RETRENCHMENT Wantland claimed that the only Way to cut expenses was to discharge some of the city employees and thought that such a move would be dangerous He thought however that thetax should be fixed at 4K mills for contingent expenses and U for the streets JOBS FOR VOTERS Simondi favored keeping the laboring classes at work as long as possible and was willing to cay any tax necessary to keep up the improvements He also thought it better to emnloy men rather than to allow the city to fill up with crooks Folland Well you employ a class of men many of whom go to jail as soon as they quit work KARRICK OPPOSES A RAISE Karrick didnt think that the city could stand an increase of taxation with the present unfavorable financial outlook and hence opposed a raise in the rate He also thought it almost criminal to shout about improvements under the existing ex-isting circumstances and favored letting out a few of the fat office holders to cut the citys expenses Wantland moved to amend Beardsleya amendment by fixing the rate at 4 > i mills for contingent expenses and 1J mills for street purposes which was seconded by Sinondi Following this amendment came a general gen-eral fragmentary debate in which a number of the members participated and which didnt seem to materially tend toward the reaching of any definite conclusion con-clusion At this time Simondi moved that further action be postponed until next Friday which was lost FIVE ENOUGH FOR MORAN Moran made a spread eagle speech in favor of a 5mill assessment and declared that the street committee was spending money out in additions where there wasnt a house In sight while streets in the business portions of the city were almost impassable c Why said he in conclusion if we voted 200000 for street purposes the street committee would spend it Wantfanas amendment was put and lost by the following vote Yeas Beards leYt Heiss Kelly Loofbourow Simondi and Wantlapd 6 Nays Folland Hardy Horn Karrick Lawson Moran and Rich 7Wantland Wantland moved topostpone until Friday Fri-day evening Carried by a vote of 7 for and 6 against Wantland then moved that the city attorney at-torney be Instructed to draw up an ordinance ordi-nance to be submitted on Friday evening with the rate of taxation left blank Carried Car-ried The matter will have to be settled definitely de-finitely at the next meeting as the next regular meeting occurs on July 5 and the rate must be fixed before that time in order to bo legal I A SEWER PUMP RESOLUTION I Moran introduced the following resolution I reso-lution Whereas Owing to the lack of power the sewer pump at the sump Is not being operated and the sewage is at reseat res-eat running into the Jordan river thereby endangering the health of the community the city being liable lia-ble for heavy damages and great expense in consequence of suits that may be brought against it by the property owners in that locality and Whereas A boiler and engine of sufficient suffi-cient capacity to operate the pump as heretofore operated can be purchased for about 3000 thus obviating any further trouble and Whereas The gravity system will not be completed until about December 1 next be it Resolved That the city purchase such boiler and engine to operate the pump until such time as the gravity system shall be completed Referred to the committee on sewers A CLEVER POLITICAL DODGE Wantland introduced the following Whereas In the present condition of affairs In the city it Is the duty of city officials to usa great care in the selection of employees en gnged in oity work and In all cases to give preference to bona fide citizens and taxpayers in need of work to enable them to pay their I taxes and support their families Resolved That the superintendent of waterworks water-works street supervls r water master and superintendent of sowers are hereby instructed to give preference to taxpayers and men with families to support and to submit a statement to the council showing tho total number of employees em-ployees in their departments July 11893 and showing the number of married man and taxpayers tax-payers in service under their direction on said ate A spirited debate followed the introduction introduc-tion of the resolution Rich called it a good political dodge and Moran didnt believe Wanty meant what he said Moran moved to include the heads of all departments Carried A motion to adopt was then out and carried by the following vote Yeas F Uand Hardy Karrick Kelly Lawson Loofbourow Rich and Wantland8 Nays Beardsley Horn Moran and Si mondi4 Adjourned until Tuesday evening |