Show MAYOR TALKS TO ROTARIANS gives able discussion of the development of city in decade the following interesting discussion on the development of 0 brigham city within the past decade was given by mayor hervin bunderson in his talk before the brigham city rotary notary club at last fridays luncheon there are two propositions i I 1 want to lay down at the beginning oi of my talk first when we bug a commodity or service we roust must pay tor for it second when we need a commodity or service we pay for it whether we buy it or not one of 0 our problems in private life and also in community life is to conduct our affairs with proper reference to both these axioms if IE in a town we need paved roads 0 or r a now new water system or a new electric plant we pay for these things whether we buy them or not we pay for them in the inconvenience we suffer because of not having them it if we do not pay tor for them at once in an outlay of money once we decide we must have these things then we must pay for them in money an important tac taxpayer payer on main street asked me a few days ago why we could not reduce the taxes in brigham city and I 1 had to admit I 1 did not know since then I 1 have attempted to find out why taxes cannot be reduced I 1 in this city and my investigation has at least in a brief way covered some of the fundamental developments and trends carrying on in brigham city during the past decade it if this information could be presented graphically it would show very distinctly the trends developing in brigham city you have heard it said by various carious people ilme time and again during the past few years that brigham city lie losing population at an alarming i rate rat e and as evidence of 0 this fact act a number of empty homes are pointed out it was my privilege to have ac cess ceas to the population figures for this city for each year during the past ten edif at the agures figures show an increase in population of 18 per cent during the 10 years under review it Is my bel belief ef that the empty apty homes indicate a condition which is highly favorable A great many of the empty homes in this city are old homes the owners having become prosperous during the boom years have built new homes in my immediate neighborhood within two blocks from from my own home during the short time I 1 have lived in brigham Br ighani city twenty three new homes have been built and only one house has been taken down to make room tor for any ot of these new ones I 1 believe our population increase in these ten years while not phe nominal has been very satisfactory some people will tell you the names of a great many families who have left brigham Brigha ml city in the last ten years have you I 1 ever tried to name the people who have come to brigham city in the last ten years in 1916 the bonded debt of brigham city was in 1926 it Is after deducting sink sinking tAgi funds now accumulated against the outstanding indebtedness the maximum bonded debt reached b by this city was in the neighborhood of the per capita bonded indebtedness in this city in 1916 was 1501 in 1926 a very sharp increase but who Is to blame practically all borrowed money has been borrowed only after the citizens have voted to make the loan for a specific improvement this money has purchased good investments paved streets and sidewalks rw alks a highly satisfactory culin culinary water supply and a hydro electric plant which is furnishing us with electric energy at 75 per cent of 0 the usual com merical rate providing every home a tree free porch light and lighting our streets throughout the entire city the assessed valuation in this city during the years 1916 to 1925 has increased from per capita to per capita in 1916 the tax levy was 57 mills in 1925 mills where does this tax go in 1916 the per capita payment tor for sinking fund purposes was in 1926 the per capita payment tor for sinking fund with increased population was more than ten tell times as much as in fa 1916 in 1916 IS 18 per cent ot of the general taxes paid to brigham city went to pay bond sinking und fund and interest in 1926 85 per pee cent of the taxes that will be paid to brigham city will go to pay bond sinking fund and interest in in per cent of the general taxes went to pay the running expenses of the city in 1926 only 15 per cent ofa of the general taxes will tie be used with which to pay running expenses again may I 1 ask chos to brame why of course the citizens cit liens who voted the bonds and that was the majority of us the word 1 I blame la this ity continued on page three ahme 1 MAYOR TALKS TO ROTARIANS continued from first page sense is the wrong word to use I 1 should rather say chos to have the credit for this condition and the answer would ibe be the same the people who voted the bonds and who pay the taxes and we come back to the visit proposition ion it if we buy a commodity or service ice we must pay tor for it it if we contract to buy an automobile on the monthly payment plan there is no use to come back in a few months and complain that the payments are too high because they are not they are just right to get us paid out by the expiration date of 0 the contract the same Is true with our A eighty five per cent of general taxes in brigham city this year will go to ray pay installments and interest on the purchase for which we have previously contracted and then practically 10 per cent of 0 general taxes this year will go to take care of the library Ca rangle built for us if i we would agree to maintain it up to a certain standard and but 5 per cent of the general taxes this year will go to help take care of the running expenses of the city I 1 believe this point is worth emphasizing in 1916 only S per cent of our taxes and the yield was only about 25 per cent ot of what it will be this year was used for the payment of 0 sinking fund and interest and just ten years later we have increased such obligations to a point where it requires sa per cent of the general taxes which are now practically tour four times as much as they were in 1916 to provide tor for sinking fund and interest alone practically 16 times as much as in 1916 I 1 arn am not putting these facts in this form to find fault or complain because I 1 think none of us would like to give up our paved roads and sidewalks and improved streets and bridges culinary water supply electric plant street lighting and porch lighting and increased park area but I 1 mention the matter simply to show that we ourselves contracted tor for the services and commodities and have agreed to pay definite installments yearly and it is too late now to ask to change the contract but this condition is only temporary the brigham city utilities are re fast developing into producers viewed aora from a strictly commercial basis it seems to me that the utilities frigham Erig Drig ham harn city owns are al a wise investment for the future it if we did not have other demands coming it would not be lo 10 long ng until we should reach a condi condition tiou where there would be no general taxes in brigham city but as we progress and as our tonn ton grows there will be other demands such as sewers increased water storage capacity curbs curba and gutters and so on none of us like to pay taxes and I 1 am just as asi anxious as any other taxpayer that taxes shall he be kept down to the very limit consistent with necessary improvements and sensible expansion pan sion but in spite of 0 all that Is bald against taxes I 1 believe the tax dollar I 1 spend brings me more than any other dollar I 1 spend after providing the necessities when I 1 think that the comparatively few dollars I 1 pay for taxes gives me tire fire protection to my property police protection to myself and family good roads on which to travel in any direction the best schools in the world tor for my children to attend regardless op of how many I 1 may have libraries where I 1 may come in contact with the wisdom of ages in any line in which I 1 may be interested and the many other good thugs that are too numerous and common place to recall I 1 am almost ashamed that I 1 complain of taxes being too high every time I 1 get my tax notice may I 1 repeat the propositions with which I 1 began when we buy a cam commodity or service we must pay tor for it and when hen we need a commodity or service we pay for it whether we buy it or not and then in conclusion may I 1 say that fis as f I 1 see the problem now it is lecausi of the aboe facts that taxes cannot be further reduced in brigham city at IN this time we must first pay tor for what wo we have bought |