Show mm BRIGHAM GITY cm T TAX A X LEVY NINE MILLS ON THE DOLLAR IS THE LEVY IN BRIGHAM CITY THIS YEAR ELECTRIC PUNT PLANT glinin gl G 4 the indebtedness in all departments being decreased by careful conscientious ious management A levy of nine mills property tax lax has bas been made by the city council this year and a statement or estimate showing the receipts and disbursements in the various departments has been drawn up based upon the figures for the first six months of the current year the general fund shows receipts from license property tax and water tax and disbars indents including salaries of all 0 officers frI cers for street sprinkling irrigation interest n on bonds repairs on roads and expense of tire fire department etc at there are bonte items not ta ken hen into account here that are almost certain to come during the latter part ot of this year among them perhaps tour four or five loudred dollars for clean dugout tug out and repairing the channel of boxelder box elder creek in the watery lane ballasting main alain street and new bridges in the city so with the five mills levied for general purposes the de debit bit and credit columns will come pretty nearly balancing in this de i i 11 naf a 11 LIGHT AND POWER PLANT the electric alghi and power plant la Is on one of the bagg bagges items in all the cites intricate business interests the idea has been expressed by some uninformed or misinformed citizen that the electric light plant was paying tor for itself now and in addition to tills this making some money tor for the city the statement has been acen made by some that the revenue derived f from rom the plant at pre present was a month or a year this is overdrawn however according to the statement made up and upon 1 I which the council is now acting or about a month will cover the years income from the electric it light lit and power plant including the power used in pumping water during the summer season we derive no income as yet from the contract with the utah smelting smelling Sm elting company but when we do begin furnishing the power on that contract of course the receipts vi ill III bo be very greatly increased and will enable the city to do many things in the electric light department that present conditions will not warrant wa irant adding to the revenue from the plant a tax of 4 mills for special electric II ait purposes makes the ie ic for the year on the other side of the balance sheet there are several items that to be ba properly understood must be explained we wilt will say however in the first place that the disbursements will aggregate IZ salaries amount to extensions and incidentals 2000 interest on bonds 1350 general electric company lease merrell lumber company with interest ahe the rocky mountain bell telephone co 1083 with interest in addition to this there is a note held by the first national bank of tills this city tor for 2000 that becomes due this year tills this latter item can no doubt be extended by paying up the interest but some of the other accounts ought to be paid us as the creditors of the city have waited long and patiently on us and have been very lenient vor for instance the due the general electric company on lease of machinery must be paid tills year the merrell lumber co ought to be paid its bill of or at least leasta a good part of it as a matter of have been out they justice to them the use of the money a long ions time the has lias never III all M B D telephone company had anything on its account except ther the use of 0 d a few ot of the he cites poles the value of which to them will perhaps amount to the he interest on the amount due them for the use of their poles the company has never arm pressed ed the city for or settlement on account 0 of the tact fact that the city was deeply involved of course they may expect somi some consideration from the city when they ask for an extension of the franchise but the thought that they may do this ought not to be an excuse tor for the city to delay payment of their account As we said lid before this side of the sheet reaches the figure of without any sinking fund being provided tor for this sinking fund fun d become necessary as yet perhaps but Is an item that should not be lost sight of by the city fathers the sinking fund in the water works department part ment was not started in time and in consequence the present adminis trulon Is trying to 10 make it up by increasing he amount annually required to be set apart so that when the bonds come due they will be able to lo more nearly meet them there is knotner item in connection with the electric light plant that has probably pro babiy been overlooked by the majority of the people and that is the street lighting the street lighting has never been paid for since the new plant began operations it if it were paid tor for the cost would not be less than a year WATER WORKS department in the water works department the receipts and disbursements just about balance under present conditions the proposition was made at a special meeting to levy a tax or water works extensions which would have been a very good thing indeed al aa the money derived from such a tax could be n nicely I 1 used in making some extensions where there are a sufficient number ot 0 to I 1 IMs Is det rated under tinder lie he present administration that the city should have at least four takers on every ba lock block of its wate gatej malna mains to pay interest on the cost ot of extension many abany along the lines recently laid have not yet connected up as they agreed to do in their petition and in consequence the system is not deriving the income it should have from these there are two or three places yet in the city where a sufficient number of families famili eis reside on one block to justify the city in reaching out to include them one place in the 1st ast ward a two inch pipe could be laid bald to advantage and that Is from the corner of ath east and south to the corner of ath east and 1st ast south thence north on ath east to forest street in the ard 3rd rd continued on page tour four BRIGHAM CITY TAX LEVY continued from first page ward there Is a two inch pipe laid from the corner of and 1st ast north one block north the mains could be extended to advantage another block north and get a halt half dozen more takers at once but the two inch pipe running from the corner of 0 2nd and west and north is not sufficient to furnish all the people along that line who would take the water we think that it would be a good idea to take up the two inch pipe along the street where it Is now and put in a three inch from 1st ast north two blocks north on 2nd and west which would take it 11 to Year corner then the pipe taken up could be utilized in extending the main from the line on en north along alon alst ast 1st west at least anc one bilock 11 orth in fh e ata ward there is a dead end just about opposite J W valentines residence near the corner of 2nd and south and 3rd ard west by extending this line to connect with the pipes on forest street that dead end could be done away with and it would give better service in the northwest part of the city however in the discretion of a majority of the council the tax tor for this year was already high enough at 9 mills and the tax will not be made this year the proposition is under consideration however to create a water works district and levy a tax upon those property owners whose pro perty adjoins the mains we agree that there is more justice in this idea than to tax indiscriminately for the maintenance of the system when a great many are arc not at all directly by it those who could take advantage of the water works whether they have doue dolle so or not are the ones ones that should pay a water works tax GOOD management we feel to commend the council tor for the highly satisfactory way in which they have handled the city s affairs and we stand ready to render any assistance in our power at any and all times |