Show COUNCIL TOLD OF LOW PIPE WATER RATE you gentlemen have the lowest P pipe pe water rate in the state of utah you really cant afford to deliver water tor for 30 cents per month per connection said C 0 pickle sanitary engineer of the state board of health these statements were made to the mayor and city council here last monday in connection with a dis disco c ajon ion of 0 our public utilities and sf I 1 I 1 projects as consid e reconstruction finance corl letlon mr air pickle Is a member of 0 the state board t such projects and make recommendations dat ions to further illustrate his position as to our rates he pointed out that pipe water costs from in fillmore to as high as per year in two other communities in the state there is an element of truth in mr air pickles statement that pipe water cannot be delivered tor for the price charged in fillmore our system Is being paid tor for through general taxation in fact act out of 0 the mills levied last year by fillmore city 8 mills was tor for waterworks water works I 1 debt service with the exception of several years immediately following the installation ot of the iron pipe system in town fillmore city has never tried to raise much more than mere maintenance expense from service charges our pipe water system therefore Is not a self liquidating enterprise it is interesting in this connection to note that a dollar a year tap tax nearly equals a mill general property tax if both were fully paid to make our water system self liquidating at the present time we would have to charge a residence rate of perhaps per month for the owner of the slightly better than average homo home the ahe self liquidating method and the present method cost about the same amount in dollars and cents but the family with very little property the transient and renter has its water service largely paid tor for by the larger taxpayers in the town duang these times the administration has taken a position that water being a necessity should be delivered to the people at the very least possible expense hence the present rate but it the fairest position to the large taxpayers it if conditions continue as they are it is questionable how long they will be able to stand it but the worst feature is tile tho vt it that the recipients of the bene 11 L 1 do 0 not all seem to appreciate palate Pc late it f there Is little spirit of manifest operation cooperation co local business is constantly called upon to meet the stiffest of outside competition and is often held to closest accounting by the very people it Is shackled to protect furthermore high general property tax discourages improvement and stifles industry it if conditions ever approach normal again one ot of the greatest steps forward this little city could take would bs be a readjustment of its revenue making mechanism with a view toward encouraging improvement growth and industry america now boasts a few cities that levy no general pro perty tax at all but are maintained entirely by the money received from their public utilities those are the cities that all else being equal capital Is going to seek to make its tangible investments in the future |