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Show CHANGE OF HEART i Our City Soloiis Reduce the Tax One Mill. GOOD WORK BY M'EWAN, The Lone and vnly Democratio Council man Got the Levy Reconsidered and a Resolution to Accept Fayment or a Portion Por-tion of the Tax in Labor Passed Proceedings Pro-ceedings or Last Night '9 Session of the Oouncil. Councilor Nephi Kobs of the Third ward tendered his resignation to the council last night. It was accepted without comment. Mr. Rosa expects to be absent from the city during the balance of his term of office. Thomas Collins asked release of tax Bale on certain lots sold for difference of amount of tax assessed on lots and as acreage. The ground was assessed bDth ways. The acreage tax was paid. Referred to the committee on judiciary. judic-iary. - Knudsen verbally reported progress on the Gillespie et al petition concerning concern-ing alleged damage done by seepage from City Creek. The committee is of the opinion that the damage is caused by dams the petitioners themselves them-selves place in the creek. The ditch is being cleaned and straightened and the watermaster has been instructed to notify tne owners of the dams to remove re-move the same and place in their stead proper gates. Simmons reported progress on the investigation being made by his committee com-mittee concerning complaints ol befouling be-fouling the waters of Provo riyer in Wasatch county. Pigs are allowed to wallow in the river up there. IIow-ever, IIow-ever, the city is powerless to act, the location where the water ia being befouled be-fouled being farther away than seven miles from the city. The raiser of pigs, however, will be asked to herd his swine out of the river. Knudsen repotted having held a meeting with representatives of alt the owners of water in Provo rivtr living in Utah county, at which meeting meet-ing a committee of one representative from each canal company and one from the council was appointed to meet with a like committee .from the water owners of Wasatch county at which meeting the proposition to unite and form one irrigation district will be considered. con-sidered. ClairjQB in total amount of $331.85 were allowed and the various amounts appropriated. Thsse included the bill of George Sutherland for $125.00 balance bal-ance fees in the Scott ys, Provo city damage case ana Reporter Pike's Dill 'or $67.50 for transcript of testimony The next item oi business taken up by the council developed the tact that an entire change ot heart has come over the majority of the council in relation re-lation to the .amount ot city tax it ia necessary to levy this year. It will be remembered that at the session of the council held on June 24th, after longdis-cusaion, longdis-cusaion, it was decided to levy a 10 mill ci y tax, all payable in caBn, and apportioned as follows: 5 mills to pay interest on waterworks bonds when due; mills for contingent expenses; ex-penses; i mill for keeping in repaid and improving streets. The only opposition to the levying of this ex-horbitant ex-horbitant tax was from the onlv democratic member of the council, Joseph T. McEwan. He worked hard to show that the estimate of cash needed for the running of the city during dur-ing the fiscal year ending November 1, 1896. made by the committee on finance, was altogether too high, but the majority eat down on him. He would not stay sat upon he never does. A quiet campaign among his colleagues after their .precipitate action, ac-tion, helped by the numerous huge kicks made to them by the tax-payers, accomplished his purpose and a resolution resolu-tion to the effect that "on fuller consideration con-sideration of the subject it appears that said levy is larger than necessary, therefore resolved by the city council ofProyocity that the said "levy for contingent expenses be and the same is hereby reamed from 4 mills to S mills on the dollar" was presented and adopted. The resolution was presented by Keeler, a member who, while he expressed himself as favoring a lower tax daring the debate voted, in the affirmative at the time the high levy was made. Glazier and Knudsen, both members of the finance committee commit-tee wbo made the estimate, were the only ones who voted against the resolution. reso-lution. They were surprised to Bee the change ot heart and some debate, rather acrimonious, was indulged in before the vote on the resolution was taken. McEwan wanted! a still greater reduction but said he was willing to accept a "half-loaf" knowing know-ing full well that he could not get a "whole loaf". Another resolution, written by McEwan, Mc-Ewan, presented by Simmons, as follows, fol-lows, waB adopted: "Be it resolved by the city council of Provo city that the one-half mill levied on the 24th day of June 1895 for the repairing of the streets and alleys of Proyo city be payable pay-able in labor," and the collector of taxes be instructed to receive the supervisor's receipt in payment therefor." there-for." This is another result of the gcod work of our democratic solon that will greatly please the tax-payers of the city. Cash is scarce, labor is plentiful plenti-ful and easier paid for taxes. , |