| Show CITY COUNCIL the city council met in regular session june acting mayor parsons presiding the following protest was read SALT LARB LAKE city anne 10 to the honorable mayor and cuy city council of salt lahke my city gentlemen the undersigned undersigner under signed residents of salt lake city respectfully and earnestly protest against the sale or other disposition by bv your honorable body to any private corporation oration or person erson of any of the water on controlled strolled trolled by y 8 salt a F t like lake or any of the waterworks water works canals or other appliances bv which the same is or has been diverted from its nat natural iral channel and distributed tri buted to the citizens thereof for the reason that said water is not and never has been the property of the cita but belongs to the citizens who have previously appropriated and used the same and any transfer sale or lease thereof would endanger the lights of the citizens and leave them at the mercy of speculators and soulless corporations po rations for these and many other good a and nd sufficient reasons that might be enumerated we respectfully ask that the prayers of the several petit petitioners petition loners ers who are seeking to ob taia of the city water canals and waterworks water ater works or any part thereof be not granted and your petitioners petition ers will ever pray this petition was signed by walker Rr brothers others W W riter biter grant brothers elijah sells bells L R hij and others it was re fern d to the committee on water works A second petition of a similar nature with about 2000 signatures was also presented and referred to the name committee F L corwin superintendent of the utah divisi division oti of the oregon short line and utah northern stated that chat there had bad been a misunderstanding der standing in regard to a switch on third west street across eighth south street and asked that a franchise be granted for the same to mr Dit ditmans mauls premises referred to the committee on streets the salt lake city railway asked for a franchise from the corner of ninth south and seventh east streets to the city limits and west to roper street referred to the committee on streets emily platts and other residents on apricot street asked that that be made full width referred red to the committee on streets mrs burton and mrs ferguson residents of second street ask asked that a wall promised Dromi sed by the former council tz to protect their property be completed referred to the committee on streets fred kesler and other resi residents delats of first north street east including all the property owners except mr baskin and mr hall the latter declining to sign as he was a member of the council protested against changing the grade as asked by mr baskin for the reason that it would be a detriment to their property filed C and G buckle askea permission to run a refreshment stand at liberty park on july ath referred to the mayor 0 H pettit and others asked the city to remit special taxes on school ani an i church property col morritt merritt said the city could not remit such taxes The petition was tabled T R EL atkins and about others asked that the old ditch on seventh west street near first south be filled and the street repaired referred to the committee on streets henry barney and others asked to lease two acres of land in section 25 the petition was tabled as all of section 25 is disposed of cf haddock coon asked permission to scrape sand sanci from the jordan river north of white bridge re ke berred to the committee on irrigation dr C W higgins asked that the city sell him the warm springs for and to improve the same referred to the committee on public grounds joseph stanford of the capitol grounds commission stated that it had been agreed to proceed with the cementing of the reservoir and laying of it the water pipes and asked trat t the city confer with the commission referred to the ommittee committee on improvements improvement 9 who were to meet the commission today L C pitts and others asked for the removal of the dairy at the corner of fourth south and seventh east streets referred to the sanitary committee orson rogers stated that several boxes of machinery obstructed the street near the silk factory anti and asked that they tie he removed referred to the marshal L P kelbey atia anu others asked that the grade be established ou on west temple street between kirbt and second south streets referred to the committee on streets mrs M A johnson and others asked I 1 permission to establish a n refreshment stand in liberty park referred to the mayor thos S K snarr and others asked that the water mai mains ns be extended on sixth south street from first west referred to the committee on water works fred wanless and 62 others protested against granting the rapid transit companas Comp anys request for a switch from the oregon short line and utah nevada road on seventh south street piled filed without reading joseph booth and others protested against granting the water maitis maids extension on eighth fast east street asked for by E B asp awall referred without reading to the committee on water wilkinson brothers were granted permission to pile building material near the corner of first west and second south street J H paul and about 60 others presented the following SALT LAKE CITY may 17 1 to his honor the K slayer an ant jf members J of tin the council of IM S salt lake wy gentlemen your petitioners petition ers respectfully represent let that the water of emigration canyon belongs by right of acquirement ai rement ownership and use nee to the people of the first second and tenth wards of this city 2nd and that emigration stream la is the most natural and convenient source of a supply of hydrant water for the said wards an and especially for the first and the tenth wards ard 3rd that th a s water is comparatively pure and wholesome the water of only one tributary containing much lime and that stream can be diverted ath that the expense necessary to bring the water from the canyon into a reservoir on the east bench in wooden pipes or flames and t f om the reservoir down the main streets of said wards in iron mains would not be great and might be undertaken at onee on eay by the city authorities your petitioners petition ers therefore isk ask that this matter be accorded consideration by your honorable body at an early date that ther the in mav av know whether ur or not the city authorities will undertake the work this season and your petitioners petition ers will ever pray for your favorable action referred to the committee on irrigation robert johnson and others asked for a corrected deed to i certain p prop rop perty referred to the city attorney M W johnson and other property owners on third west street between first and third south stat stated ed that the street in front of their premises had never been sprinkled and asked that the sprinkling tax be remitted referred the mayor with instructions to enforce the eon on tract w ith rou mou ut nt and griffi n mcclellan and smith were granted permission to pile olle dirr dire from FA a cellar on first south street near main for the period of ten days the salt lake city railroad company signified igni fied its acceptance of the franchise granted on may with the provision that a per capita tax be not assessed except on fares collected on the division filed governor thomas said hio hi ganje name was on the petition for a driving park in liberty park for the purr pur pose of speeding horses he thought some place should be provided but he did not want the rights of the people interfered with in any way it ir there was to be any he thought the park should be reder reserved ved for the purpose for which it was atts procured for the use and benefit of the public the city attorney reported an ordinance establishing a driving park in liberty park in salt lake city 9 an ordinance amending section 46 chapter 26 of the revised ordinances of salt lake city an or ardi dirance ranee to prevent interference with fire alarm and fire alarm key boxe and an ordinance providing for making gas water and sewer connections on streets proposed to be paved and across the sidewalks thereof the ordinance relative to a driving track in liberty park was tabled by a vote of five to four the other ordinances were laid on the table to come up in their order A form of notice of assess nent for paving streets and sidewalks was also submitted by the attorney and adopted the city engineer reported commercial street grades aud cost the cost of asphaltum asphalt urn paving 2 inches thick is about and gutters and cribs 2600 filed the city engineer portel re I 1 that elias morris had done paving to the amount ot with 28 25 per cent retained aud the amount already pid paid deducted there was due filed engineer tug ineer doremus reported that 2031 fuet feet ut of the tunnel iu in city creek canyon had been completed and that was due to J W snell report filed W A stanton asked that an additional dit ional engineer be appointed for steamer no 2 at 75 per mouth month and that a team be provided to be stationed on second east street between first and second aou south th streets and also requested 1500 for a steam heater etc referred to the committee ou fire department W H ryan asked for a ap P for the waterworks water works granted chris diehl presented the following communication to the hon and city cauncil of salt lake cuy gentlemen As aa the time for making assessments sess ments tor for water rates for the fiscal year be ginning july 1 1890 is drawing near I 1 do deem em it my duty to report to your honorable body the condition of affairs in wy my office a and n u a at t t the he request of the committee on w water a te r wo ra a to make such suggestions and recommendations for your consideration as seem to ne ile n e proper and best for the management bof of this department of the public service I 1 desire to call your especial attention to the like way in which the so ac courts u ss 0 of f t this h digross office mee were kept by my predecessor d de c cessor e 0 r t the h e gross inequalities in the exist ing water rates and the difficulty experienced in collecting water rates assessed by the prior or occupant I 1 when e n water mains are laid or about to be laid the city assessor and collector levies an assessment on the property owner benefited e by it which is known as the special water mains tax the tax is paid and the collector hands a list of the taxpayers to the city auditor who enters the names in a petty ledger giving each credit tor for the amount paid from this ledger the as sessor and collector of f water rates takes taken the names of the creditors aad enters them hem in his assessment book when the rates rate are payable he be issues receipts for the amount due from each water taker and delivers ers them to the city auditor who charges the amount against the water taker in the ledger at a convenient time the auditor balances the ledger accounts and mails a statement to each debtor the former auditor mailed some of these statements up to january 1 1890 and the only record of them in this office is to be found in a letter press copybook the figures agures in which copy being so AO indistinct as to be scarcely decipherable the debtor is supposed t to call and settle but while some have done so the large majority have not no further steps t than h an the sending of these statements have b been en taken there are now 1112 such petty ledger so aoi counts and it the present increase of water extensions taker continues judg judging 1 from the extensions of water mains it undoubtedly u doubt will the auditor will have to keep accounts with more than two thousand citizens at the end of the present year that in itself is work enough for daiy ky one stood good bookkeeper at nine hours steady labor per dring day during my short term of office I 1 have written receipts for parties who have credits on the books of the aty ity corporation for paying if tor OF W water ater mains mainc for these I 1 hold hol tj the t receipt of mr wells the former auditor the receipts are lead laid away in the city hall vault and have not yet been entered red in the petty ledger simply because the present auditor mr doaa aloag is so crowd ed with other othar work that it is an impossibility for him to do it or even attempt to commence it owing to this credit system many house owners have not bothered themselves about the payment of water rates and the city by reason of its failure to balance these petty ledger accounts at regular intervals his has allowed many water tubers takers to become indebted to the corporation there are in the books quite a number of water takers who owe from 25 to 50 simply sime be because e an ae they we were n not ot notified at the p proper per t time me of their indebtedness the only oly means to etore enforce pa ment is in to turn the water off fro from hie he particular premises owing tor for water rates the execution of this section in the ordinance in i this instance is anything but pleasant more especially so when the fact is taken into consideration that within the last few years many houses have frequently changed ownership it is a question guestion for or the city attorney to decide w whether ether the corporation can leg legally any collect money from a citizen tor something om ething he has not received and which have been collected from the party who enjoyed the use of the water another point to which I 1 desire to call your attention is the fact that the credits for laying 01 water mains maina are all considered pero personal and therefore assignable that to Is to say if john doe should pay for laying water mama mains in front of different lots jots in various parts of the city the credits would not necessarily attach to the lots but go to john doe individually so that he be could offset all the water rates on one jot for foi twenty or even thirty years and leave the other lots subject to the annual assessments and payments of water rates I 1 can find and no ordinance or resolution to this effect but it appears to be a well established custom the assessment book turned over to me is a veritable curiosity the several items which have been assessed the amoun amounts and many of the names are mostly enel entered in pencil the number of the receipts to is written in red ink above the pencil entered amount no date when payment was made is given which can only be found by searching ear ching the corresponding number ou on the taw tub stub in the receipt book owing to this method of keeping the books it would require an expert to ascertain the correctness of the transactions of the office you will perceive that the system is a together altogether I 1 irregular my predecessor from july 1 IM to february 24 1890 collected tor for water rates 45 the th ordinance requires that he should pay over to the city treasurer monthly or oftener ef tener the collected money continuously from august 1 to the time he went out of the office on february 1890 1800 but the books show that the first fir at payments he made for the fiscal yen year r im 1889 KO was on february febi uary when he paid andover over find and from that date to february abru ebru 28 he baid paid over in three payments a total 0 of during my short term of office I 1 have made sixty payments pa ants to the city treasurer amounting to S sll for eleven months and ten days the he collection amounts to 65 there to is yet due from eighty two water takers about which cannot be collected on account of change of ownership and because old houses in which the water was used nave have been torn down to make room tor for new structures I 1 have ordered the water shut off in twenty seven places for nonpayment non payment of rates some of them have since paid buethe but the majority ha have not Inthe in the future losses caused by change of |
