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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/27/1926 Board of Public Works MinutesThis being the date set'. hearing was had on the Improvement resolution No.I75O for the grading of the alley south of Dubail Avenue from Kemble Street to Douglas Street. I i In the above matter, only one property owner appeared j and upon his request, the Board decides to contine hearing on said resolution until November 3rd., I926. i This being the date set, -hearings were had on the following assessment rolls: California Avenue from Blaine to Sancome under improvement;! resolution No,1695. Amount due Albert `'onstruction Co., $9,24I.62. Marietta Street from Keasey street to Broadwa Street under Improvement resolution No j7I6. Amount due Albert Construction Co., 19,364.15, I . 'oodlawn Addition, including Beverly Place, Berkley Place; Kessler Blvd., and VVoodlawn Blvd., under Improvement Resolution No,1669. Amount -due Albert Construction Co., 69,070.49. Colfax Avenue from Sunnyside Avenue to Harriett Street under Improvement resolution No.I664. Amount due contractor, The "illiston Construction Go., 13,020.60. Jscob Street pavement from V ashington 'venue to McKinley 1 9St5eet05nder improvement resolution No.I7I8. Amount due Williston Construction Co., s8 Sunnyside Avenue pavement from 5unnymede Avenue to• ayne Street south under Improvement resolution No.I�376. Amount due Williston Construction Co., 3,160.62. Colfax Avenue pavement from Harriett Street to Greenlawn Avenue under Improvement Resolution No.I68I. Amount due Williston Construction Co., I41200.55. Walnut Street pavement from Indiana Avenue to Prairie Avenue under Improvement Resolution No.I6I6. Amount due Reith Wiley Construction Co., I0,876.06._ Local Sewer on ",`onroe Street from Sunnyside Avenue to Harriett Street under Improvement Resolution No.I648. Amount due John F. Hipskind Contractor, , 5.230.II. Local Sewer on Sunnyside Avenue from Belmont Avenue to Monroe Street under Improvement Resolution No.I647. Amount chie contractor, John F. Hipskind, 3,230.08. Local Sewer on Belmont Street from Eddy -Mishawaka Avenues to Longfellow 4venue under Improvement Resolution No.I638. Amount due Contractor, H2 L. Davis & Son, 9,0I3..45. Local sewer on Longfellow Avenue from Mishawaka Avenue. to 'youth Street under Improvement resolution No.I639. 4mount due contractor, John F. Hipskind, contractor, 8,774.20. i i Local sewer on youth Street from Sunnyside Avenue to Longfellow Avenue, under Improvement resolution No.I649. Amount due contractor, i John F. Hipskind, 4,623.18. In all. _of the above matters, no remonstrators appe ared and no written remonstrance was filed and after hearing all persons interested, who appeared and being fully advised in the premises, the Board finds that the benefits accruing to the several lots and parcels pf land primarily assessed for said improvemenf;s are equal to the estimated cost 6f said improvements as reported by City Engineer, and therefore, declares said rolls, filed October I9th., and October 20th., 1926, in all things ratified, confirmed and approved and the proceedings closed. maid rolls are now ordered transiflitted to the City Controller in the Department of Finance. 'This being the date set, a continued hearing was had on the assessment roll for the pipe sewer on Ceder Street from ''. L. North Sunnyside Add., to Harriett Street under Improvement Resolution No.I656. In the above matter, no remonstrance was filed and no remonstrators appeared and the Board being fully advised in the premises, finds that the benefits accruing to the several lots and parcels of land primarily assessed for said improvement, are equal to the estimated cost of same as reported by the Uity Engineer and therefore, declares said roll, filed October I2th., 1926, in all things ratified, confirmed and approved and the proceedings closed. Said roll is now ordered transmitted to the City Controller in the Department of Finance. Wednes_day,-. Oct_ober-. 27.th., I926. 21 0 0 'lihe Board app roved the Guarantee bond of H,, L . Davis & Son 'I for the. -construction of the local sewer on Belmont Avenue from -6ddy Street tLnd. Diishawaka venue to Longfellow Benue finder improvement resolution No.I638. Bond for I05, of the amount of the con£raet or 901,34 signed by Independence Indemnity Co. as Surety. The Board approved the contractors bond of I,000.00 for Louis !� E. Zeiger signed by the Aetna Casualty and 6urety 1�o.. upon the recommendation of City Engineer, Mr. H. G. Pray, the Board approved the following partial estimates: Pa rtial estirte No.I for the grade, curb and walk improvement 11, onashington Avenue from est line of 22nd., Street to East line of 30th:, Street, in accordance with the terms of the contract between the City and Eston _Ball Contractor, i under Improvement resolution No.I744. Board approved and signed same in the amount of 1,047.20. Partial Estimate N0.3 for the grade, curb, walk and pavement on Emerson Avenue, Fall Street and Chester Street in Runnymede Third Addition, in accordan with the terms of the contract between the City and Williston Construction �o., under Improvement resolution No.1668. Board signed and approved same in the amount of II,OI0.70: City Engineer, `r. H. G. Wray, filed the following assessment rolls: Pavement on LaSalle Avenue from Eddy 6treet to Sunnyside .Avenue i under Improvement Resolution No.I7II. Amount due contractor, Albert Construction Co,, 20,028.00• Pavement on Palmer Blvd., from Junnyside Avenue to East line of Madison .Park 1--ddition under Improvement Resolution No,17I2. Amount due contraetbr,. Albert Uonstruction L;o., 8,239.66, Pavement on rladison Street -from Riley East of °SAlsh- Street to Sunnyside Avenue under Improvement Resolution _No.I7I4. Amount due contractbr, I , 736.-54. Pavement on Junnymede Avenue from East line of Lot 302 Sunnymede Addition to Harriett. Street Zzn.der Improvement resolution No.1584. amount due contractor Williston Construction �'o., 5,437.60. Pavement on Madnolia Street from Indiana Avenue to Prairie Avenue Amount due contractors, Reith Riley Construction under Improvement resolution A?o.I6I7. Co., 13,07I.24. P vement on Grant Street from Division Street to N. J. & I. R. R. ! underImprovement resolution No.16II. Amount due contractors, Reith Riley Construction Co., I40777.Io. I In all of the above Assessment Roll-s, the Board hereby orders tha ' on the 3rd., day of November, I9269 this Board at itts office in the C�ty Hall, will meet to hear remonstrances from all p er sons whose property has been assessed for said improvements and will decide whether the lots and part&ls of land have been or will be. benefited in the amounts as shown on said rolls. BQrd further orders that notices of said hearings be published on the 29th., day of October and on the 30th. , day of 'October, 1926, in the News Times and South Bend Tribune. City Engineer, Y-r. H. G. Fray, filed an assessment roll for the grade, curb and walk improvement in Lincoln Park Addition under Improvement Resolution No.I632. In the above matter, the Board hereby orders that on the• day of November, 1926, this Board at it t s office in the City Hall at 7-I5 P. V. , will meet to hear remonstrances from all persons whose property has been assessed for said improvement and will decide whether the lots and parcels of land so assessed have been or will be benefited in the amounts as showp on -said rolls. Board further orders that notice of said hearing be published on the jt9_th -w day "6f`,O -tob-air and on,th'e�t3©th'., day �'of �� o er;:.:I9.2C' ' s,in the- News Times and Tribune-. Claims amounting to I,445.9I approved and signed by the Board as follows: H. G. Wray, use of Car 60.00 Pay roll for engineering dept for month of October I,439.27 H. G Wray, grade separation work 208.33 Marchant Calculat ing Machine 6.64 A letter from the Honorable Mayor Montgomery dated October 26th., I926, read and placed on file, Letter as follotivs: 222 Wednesday., October. !h., . V928. I To the Board of Public A".rks., South Bend, Indiana. Gentlemen: October 26th. , I926 ou.have complied splendidly with my insistant demands I throughout the last nine months that you economize and save constantly with respect bo all city expenditures but hereafter necessity requires that you cut to the, very bone. A pre -election pledge to the public is not to be spoken and then forgotten. Our pledge furnished a prime reason for my insistance pon a course of economy. But a second very important reason was the fact that the common council last year reduced t1­e general fund tax levy fcr this year in the rather extreme amount of four cents, thus supplying a much less income from taxes this year, and obliging some very close figuring to defray the city's operating expenses for the year. While the City spent last year.$I,237,000.00, we were provided this year a total estimated income of but I,I4I,000.00.- Including the gasoline tax, which comes from the state, the total is $I,I66,000.00, or a total income of $71.000400 less than was spent last year'. It is gratifying:.: to=: know that you have spent, or will by the end of the year, considerably less this year than last, notwithstanding the greater developement and activity in the city during this year than ever before. It should be said in full justice, that the Common. Council of last year is not to be censured for tbducirg--the levy for• this year as it did, since it might have been a fair assumption that things would be slower this year in South Bend and less money would therefore, be needed. It simply happened that things. -did not slow down, but the very contrary occured, even though we did save in pity :expenditures.. It is to 'th.e credit of three members of the council of last year, who were re-elected, that they voted unanimous approval of the buget presented for next year. Nine of the ten members were present on that evening, and the entire nine, after full consider- tion, voted affirmatively for the buget, without an objection. A growing, enlarging city naturally increaces the cost of city government, or maintenance. In IM the net disbursements of the city amounted to 478,000.00. By I925 it had riseb to the figure, above stated, of I.237,000.00, or an average yearly increase of $I08,000.00. With all of the expansion and growth of the City this year, we accomplished an actual decrease. . We have track elevation on our hands, which will mean large bond issues .in the near future, notwithstanding the cost is materially reduced by combining the two elevations in one. The bonded indebtedness of the city in the last few years has leaped upward at a rapid rate. In I9I8 the total bonded debt o the City stood at 435,500.00. In I925 the debt climbed to 3,078,000.00 or an average increase yearly of #232,000.00. The present indebtedness, together with the necessary additional debt to come with track elevation, presented a condition for serious reflection. It impelled a course, as we believed, of resorting to bond issues as sparingly as possible_ for a few years, due to the two percent. constitutional!: limit, which we were rapidly approaching. It would be unwise to approach the constitutional limit too closely. Deciding upon such a course, though denying the city as a consgquence, of certain needs, no bonds whatever, were issued this year, the first time in eight years that no City bonds have been issued for city expenses. No one will deny the growth and activity that occured in South Bend this year. Noo-ne-Muld foreenst at this time, -less growth and developement for next year. et the council, urged to continue economy of expenditures, actually dixed a budget, or total appropriations, for next year in a less amount that the total ^ppropriations for this year. Last Friday, the State Tax Board acted upon a petition objecting to the tax levy as fixed by council for nextm which stated as the reason for such objection "That the amounts to be collected on the levies so fixed are more than government economically admistered warrants". The Board's order reduced the levy a full four cents. It is possible to carry the denial of pity needs and improvements to a point where it ceaces to become a virtue. .hIready in our first nine months, warnings have been received, Fnd from conservative sources, that we are holding down city expenditures too closely for the city's best welfare. At the recent hearing before the Mate Tax. Board, I, urged, asimpre.ssively as I knew how against VL red tion f t e inting out that our present.indebtedness, iogeth.er with a large rae e��v ti8fi • C] war Wednesday:,.... October... P,7th..-.,.. 192-6. (continued) debt -soon to be added, strongly urged the wiser course of maintaining cif expenses more largely from taxes, for a few years to come, than to resort to borrowing to defray such .aelqpenses. While plans have now become altered, you are not to assume that a loose or liberal course of borrowing as a result should follow. Greater bond issues ' will now become necessary but it sl-,-ould be our purpose to continue in the determination of resorting to such issues in cases only of most certain public benefit or necessity. The thing to do when confronted with a condition is to ineet it,. You will Teel the hurt, without doubt, in operating yotir department but you should not become easily discouraged. For myself, I have faith in human nature. I have ;faith in the citizenship of South bend. In the ends the people of South Bend will demand what they would properly have, whether Tittle car much, regardless of .and force (, diminutive or powerful, which opposes them. In the end, their decision will (control. It should control. i Our policy has been economy. Our reeord and the figures for this year speak a stringent economy. It has been our settled purpose to continue the closest economy, consistent with wise provision for a progressing 'city, But for next ,year, the forcing of altered conditions means that the strings must be drawn still ;tighter regardless of it's possible harmful effects to the city. Please adjust your department to modified conditions at once. You should withhold, if possible, going to such an extreme as will bow low the head of a proud city,.but I will expect you, and the necessities require, that you retrench on every hand, and cut to the bone. u Respectfully yours, i C. R. Montgomery. Mayor. jCRM:RK,n The Board approved the driveway for filling ststion at the corner of K#ley Street and Linden Avenue, belonging to Ella 71orden. Meeting adjourned at 9-30 P. M. I Tuesday, November 2nd., I926-. I Board met in regular session at 9 A. M. All members present. i - Mr. 'A .'-G. Crabill appeared before the Board, -representing the jj Grand Trunk Railroad Co.., regarding the proposed subway on Sunnyside Avenue in 5unnymede Addition. rr. Crabill said the railroad company did not feel that they could bear the expense of building this subway, as it was not included in the original contract for the construction of the subways along the Grand Trunk Right of Way. Clerk instructed to invite- vr- Fred Keller, of hit comb Emd Keller, !! to be present at the -eeting on ednesday eve-iing=-to= disouss this matter. Meeting's djourned at II O'clock.