The Democrat-Voice (Coleman, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 9, Ed. 1 Friday, February 27, 1920 Page: 3 of 14
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ancial Condition of the City of
oleman, Texas, February 1st, 1920
ASSETS
Water Works Complete
Consisting of mains, pumps, machinery,
lake, reservoir, dams and real estate .... $63,360.36
Electric Light Plant
Plant, poles, wires, transformers, and
etc.,............>....................................................... $46,008.62
Real Estate and Parks ............................... $ 2,491.60
Office Furniture and Etc.
Safes, desks, typewriter, add. machine $ 1,293.25
Street Department.
Concrete culverts, graveled streets, rock
crusher, oiler and street tools ................«... $33,913.28
Fire Department.
I lot, brick engine house, American La *
France fire engine, hose and etc............... $10,422.40
Bock Crusher ..............................................:. $ 5.644.00
Cash on hand .................................................. $35,362.89
Liberty Bonds ................................................ 5,000.00
War Saving Stamps ................'.................... 828.00
Delinquent Taxes ........................................ $ 1,368.92
It:
$204,693.32
LIABILITIES.
Bonds outstanding ....................$88,500.00
Last note rock crusher, due
Nov, 20, 1920 ................................ 1,200.00 $89,700.00
Surplus ............................................................ 114,993.32
$204,693.32
BONDS OUTSTANDING
Dated Due Redem. after Rate Amt.
Water Works Refunding—
July 1, 1900, 40 years, 5 years, 4% $4,500.00
Electric Light—
April 1, 1902, 40 years, 5 years, 4% $4,600.00
Watey Works Rep. and. Extension—
May 1, 1905, 40 years, 15 years, 6% $8,500.00
Water W. Sup. and Imp.
Electric
Sept. 1,1909, 40 years, 15 years, 5% $30,000.00
. ip.-—
July 1, 1910, 40 years, 5 years, 6% $16,000.00
Street Improvements—
Sept. 1,1911, 40 years, 15 years, 5% $25,000.00
$88,500,00
Sinking Fund.
Cash in Bank to credit of above bonds.
Water W. Refunding ....................................$ 1,574.96
Electric Light .................................—........... 1,648.05
Water, W. Rep. and Extension.......-........... 3,541.43
Water W. Sup...........................$7,433.63
Liberty Bonds ...................... 2,600.00
War Saving Stamps ...... 828.00 $10,761.63
Elec. L. Improvement............... 3,709.80
Street improvement ____________..... 7,810.65
Liberty Bonds .......v................ 2,500.00 $10,310.65
Total credit Bond account ....................$31,546.62
Total Bonds outstanding.......................-.......$88,500.00
Sinking credit bond account'...................... 31,646.52
Bal. bonded indebtedness................ $56,963.48
Gash on Hand in Following Funds.
Common F&nd ...............................................$ 3,638.96
Street Fund ................. 921.63
Water Fund ................................................ 2,244.67
Light Fund ................................. 2,894.37
fcl
/ $ 9,699.63
aptvv- / Total Cash on Hand. /
Credit of bond account ..........$31,646.52
Less Lib. Bond and W. S. S. 5,828.00 $25,718.52
In common and others .......... 9,699.63
Less over draft sanitary ...... 141.75 $ 9,657.88
Total ..............................................$35,276.40
Paid for out otEarnings Water and Light 1918 to 20
New Meters for extension............................$ 1,245.00
1000 feet Fire hose........................................ 1,178.00
Injured Fireman, cash $600, doctor etc $500....1,000.00
Last note and interest on fire engine........ 1,120.00
2 notes and interest on rock crusher, roller,
etc........................................-.......................
Transferred to street account ....................
Transferred to common fund ..................
Wire for extending light service .....
ight servi™ l
60 cedar poles, light service
Clorinization apparatus and install..
' Kv .......-
%943.00
8,000.00
1,700.00
578.00
260.00
500.00
330.00
100.00
150.00
Vault and vault doors (city hall)...
Installing gas in library and Ore station.
100 yards gravel ......................................
Firemens expense to convention ................ 100.00
Street sprinkler ........................................... 150.00
Cash in W. and L. 1920 ..... ..$6,069.00 $14;354.00
Cash in W. and L. 1918........ 4,301.00 758.00
Total amount earned above all runn-
ing expenses during past two years
from the water and light plant ..........._...$16,112.00
Total amount earned by W. and L.
from April 5th, 1914 to Feb. 1st, 1918
above running expense ........... $29,910.00
Total since April m4, ........................$45,022.00
TAXES, 1919 -
........The total assessed tax value for 1919 was........
The total tax to be collected..............,.,v.....$14,078.00
Total tax collected ............. 13,672.00
Delinquent for 1919 ...................... 406.00
Delinquent prior years ...................— 962.92
........$1,368.92
______301
.147
Total delinquent ..................
Poll taxes paid by men..
Poll taxes paid by' women
Total ............................448
All soldiers were exempt for poll tax in 1919.
Tax Rate is 60 cents on $100.00.
As all city property has increased in value dur-
ing the year of 1919, the assessed value for 1920
should show a substantial increase. The street fund
will need more tax money if there is anything done
on the streets, as the present tax is barely enough to
keep two teams at work only one-half of the time.
A number of cement culverts are badly needed and all
streets are in bad condition from the excessive rains
end will remise evtra labor and expense to make
them even fairly good.
Comparative Statement of Cost of City Government and Salaries of Water and Light Employees.
Mayor
Five Councilmen
1914—Per Month.
30.00
87.50
City Clerk .......................:......,............................. 100.00
Marshall ......Z..........................................*:........... 60.00
Health Officer ...................................................... 17.60
Pound .............................................._...........*..... 25.00
Total ..........................................................$320.00
Electric Light Plant.
One superintendent ............................................$ 83.35
Thtee Engineers .......-.......................................... 150.00
Total ...................................„.....•...................$233.35
Water
One Superintendent ......................................$ 83.36
One Helper ........................................................... 50.00
Total ..........................^......................$133.35
Total salaries W. and L, 1914....................$366.70
1918—Per Month.
Mayor ...............................................$ 30.00
Two Commissioners .......... 100.00
City Clerk ..............:........................ 150.00
City Marshall .................................... 60.00
Pay Fire Marshall .......... 7.50
Pay to Fire Company .................... 10.00
Driver Fire Engine ........................ 60.00
Library ......................... £5.00
Street man and team.....................: 100.00
Total ................„....!....................
„ Electric Light Plant.
Superintendent ............................ $100.00
Three Engineers ..................v........... 195.00
Water
Superintendent ........t..................$100.00
One Helper ........_________________ 66.00
$340.00
$202.50
$542.50
$295.00
$165.00
Total salaries W. and L., 1918....:...........$460.00
1920—Per Month.
Mayor ................................................$ 30.00
Two Commissioners ........................ 100.00
City Clerk .......................................... 175.00
City Marshall .................................... 100.00
Paid Fire Marshall ............ 12.50
Pay to Fire Company ........ 10.00
Pay Fire Engine Driver ...... 80.00
Pay Library .................................. 26.00
Pay Street Man and Team ............ 100.00
$405.00
$227.50
Total ......................................................... $632.50
Electric Light Plant.
One-half Superitnendent salary ....$ 87.50
One-half Helper ....................... 45.00
Three Engineers ............................... 280.00 $412.60
Water
One-half Superintendent salary ....$ 87.50
One-half Helper ....................... 45J»
One Pumper ......... 75.00 $207.50
Total salaries for 1920..
$620.00
It is seen that all salaries, except Mayor and Commissioners have nearly doubled from 1914 to 1920. Fuel oil cost $1.32 a barrel in 1914, in 1920 it cost $2 94
Wire and all supplies have increased in price fully as much. The water rate howev er, has not been raised. Patrons pay same old price as when everything was cheap
Water.
To provide an adequate supply of good water is
always a serious problem for any city or town. Cities
or towns not having 5000 inhabitants must operate
under the State laws only, that is, they can not get
a special charter until they have 5000 people in their
town. As a town nears the 5000 mark their need of
more water increases, but their ability to raise more
money by bonds or warrants does not. This puts a
town that has passed the village size and not yet
attained the city size in a trying position. Every
town has its own water problem to solve and Cole-
man’s permanent water supply is still'to be solved.
Now while we have a two year water supply on
hand is the time to begin making preparation for a
permanent water supply. This proposition is too big
and of too much importance to be done hurriedly and
U n permanent water supply is really wanted as
much now as some people claimed they did in the
summer of 1918, the golden opportunity now pre-
sents itself to start the movement going. The rav-
ings of some of our citizens during the drouth when
water was very scarce and very bad did not do any
good, but the unfortunate condition did furnish the
excuse for a most vicious and unwarranted attack in
the public press on the city administration. The
wish was expressed that there should be a hell made
for the special accommodation of the “Boob” city
officials. Most any charitably inclined man can for-
give, but he would be a Boob indeed if he could for-
get.
Increased Water Shed.
A survey was made last spring and a level
taken of the land lying west and south of the City
'Lake to see if it were possible to increase the area
drainage into the lake. It was found that the drain-
age surface could be increased approximately 10%
at a nominal cost by deepening the ditches along the
public road, for about one-half mile. This would add
materially to the water supply if every rain was
increased by 10% as the limited drainage surface
to the lake is the one great defect. This improve-
ment would have been made last spring or summer,
but every available man and team were either help-
ing make or save the crop that was so badly needed,
in fact taking men and teams out_gf the crop meant
over bidding the farmer when the Vhole country was
depending on a crop. A preliminary survey was
made for a cement dam and causeway across Hords
Creek at the foot of Live Oak street, for the double
purpose of impounding the creek water and at the
same time furnishing a bridge or driveway across
the creek. Our government being at war at the
time the creek was dry prohibited any extension of
water works, electric lights or paving, and an affi-
davit had to be made for every sack of cement or
pound of steel used that such material was a neces-
sity and it was left to the government officials to ap-
prove or not. At the same time the government was
making a requisition on every county in the state for
labor, giving each county its quota of men to furn-
ish. Coleman did not and could not furnish the quota
assigned to hey, so the building of a dam or anything
else of like character was practically prohibited. Not
until the beginning of the next dry spell can this dam
be put in.
Chlorinator Installed.
A chlorinator to steralize with liquid chlorine
all the water used by the city was installed in Jan-
uary of this year. This is the same apparatus used
by the government at all the army camps and is
used in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Austin and a
great many other cities. The cost of chlorine per
day is the only cost after installation is only about
8 cents per day. The very small amount of chlorine
injected into the water in the form of a spray is not
Enough to be detected in the drinking water, but is
effective enough to destroy all typhoid and other
germs. The apparatus is easily operated and from
appearances will not wear out for a good many years.
While we never have had an epidemic of typhoid, it
was a matter of good luck and not of preventation
so far, as the water was concerned. From the e
perience of other cities with the sterilizing of drink-
ing water we can n6w feel secure against any tp-
phoid and other germs in our water supply.
. r Gas.
The city has a rate from the Gas Company for
electric light plant of 12 cents per 1000 cubic feet.
With a minimum rate of $150.00 per month, whether
used or not. This makes a saving of more than
$100.00 a month over the Bessemer engine and the
Bessemer uses only one-fifth as much fuel oil as the
old engine discarded three years ago. The gas com-
pany last summer were threatened with bodily in-
jury if they took labor needed in the harvest field
to put their gas line under ground. Since cold
weather came and the gas wells weakened to such
extent that there was not gas enough to go around
some people wanted the gas company’s franchise
forfeited because they had not covered their pipe
line. This is a veritable case of where Y“ou are
dammed if you do and are dammed if you don’t.”
Gas wells are fickle and uncertain in every country,
always have been and always will be. The gas com-
pany bought the gas from two wells, either of which
afforded many times the need of the town. One well
weakened so quickly that the second well was added,
which only lasted a short time. Then a third well
was bought and connected up which was thought
would end the shortage of gas, but this well lasted
just one day, when salt water came in and ruined it.
Now a fourth, well has been contracted for and will
soon be connected with the mains and it is expect-
ed to furnish a full supply. If our people will have
a little forbearance and not expect the gas company
ta do impossible things they will keep just as warm
and a much better feeling will exist all around. The
gas people have done all that was humanly possible
to do, to furnish us with a full supply of gas, and
they should be given a fair show.
Library.
For some years before the Commission Form of
Government was adopted, the City had been con-
tributing $50.00 per month for the use and support
of the library. The City Commission continued this
support for several years when the revenues began
to go down and the City had $1,500 to pay for case
of one injured fireman. The amount was then re-
duced to $25.00 a month and later when the drouth
still further reduced the revenue and the city had
another injured fireman to care for at an expense
of *$1/000.00, the entire amount was cut off. The
City paying only for insurance, fuel, janitor and also
for keeping up a small park. Since the effect of the
drouth is over and the revenues are again normal, the
City on February 1st, of this year, began paying in-
to the library fund $25.00 per month. Only dire
necessity caused this fund to be reluctantly cut off
and it is a pleasure to be able to reinstate it.
Fire Marshall.
Our faithful an defficient fire marshall has been
patriotic enough to serve for five years at a nominal
salary, barely enough to pay for shoe leather worn
out in discharge of his duty. By a recent ruling of
the State Fire Insurance Commission the work of
the Fire Marshall has been very much increased. He
is now required to not only make an inspection once
each month of every building in the fire limits, from
the basement to roof, but is required to make a re-
port in triplicate of each inspection. One report to
be sent to the State Commission, one delivered to
the owner, and one retained by the marshall and kept
on file. This means nearly 100 reports to make out
in triplicate each month, to be exact there are just
93 inspections at present. When a report shows that
some regulation has not been complied with, a no-
tice has to be given to the delinquent owner, with a
request for immediate remedy, after a few days, an-
other inspection must be made to see if such remedy
has been made, when another report must be made
and sent to the State Fire Commission showing what
had or had not been dor.e. Failure or refusal to
comply, with state regulations as to fire hazards, lays
one liable to have their insurance rate raised qr can-
celled and other penalties. All of this makes more
work for the fire marshall, and more than could, or
should be expected without a fair compensation.
Fire prevention has become more and more re-
cognized as the most efficient way to keep down fire
loss.
fight anybody’s fire without pay or any profit to
themselves.
The good fire record Coleman enjoys is due to the
efficiency of the fire boys and to the untiring efforts
of our fire marshall, who is on the job all the time,
in keeping down fire hazards thus preventing fires
from starting.
During the hard times when the City was paying
for their new fire engine the fire boys contributed
$500.00 towards paying for it out of money won as
prizes at State Fire Conventions. They were effi-
cient enough to win these money prizes when in
competition with fire companies from the whole
State of Texas and were generous enough to apply
this hard won money to help pay for fire apparatus
belonging to the City of Coleman.
Verily virtue is it’s own reward in this case as
there is no other compensation. The patriotism, de-
votion, and generousity of the fire boys calls for, and
merits the unstinted praise of every citizen dt Cole-
man. The City Commission takes pleasure in testi-
fying to their sterling worth in protecting us against
fire and in acknowledging the debt of gratitude we
all owe them for efficient and unselfish work.
Street*.
The City owns an up-to-date rock crusher—five
acres of rock, a 10 ton roller, a self heating oiler and
street sweeper. These are all needed in making a
hard surface pavement and is practically all the
equipment that is required for that work. When this
equipment was purchased it was confidently expect-
ed that before this time Coleman would have real
pavement over the main part of the business sec-
tion. The great drouth that covered all of West
Texas, included Coleman, this unfortunate condi-
tion, coupled wit hthe fact that our government was
at war and had ordered all public work requiring la-
bor and material to be suspended during the war, pro-
hibited the paving proposition for the time being.
Since thg armistice was signed and all government
restrictions removed labor has not been available
cveii for gathering the crops, much less for other
work. However, conditions will no doubt get stab-
ilized before so very long, and when labor can be
obtained the much needed paving can be done. In
the meantime the city can be laying up a surplus to
pay for the paving without issuing bonds. The in-
cessant rains that have fallen during the fall and
winter have emphasized the fact that we need some
hard surfaced streets. Practically nine-tenths of
all the work done on the streets the last year has
been lost, as grading and re-grading dirt roads with
continUoqp rains can not help but be a losing propos-
ition, now, or in the future. It now costs $7.50 per
day for one man and team and as it takes two men
and two teams to do any kind of street work it can
be readily seen that the small tax for street work,
($1,400.00 with poll tax of $225 and street tax of
about $400.00,) will not go very far towards giving
Coleman good streets. By careful management and
drawing as much as possible from the water and
light acounts, the streets may be kept fairly good in
normal years. Gravel was put on the streets in
1915 for 65 cents per yard, it now costs $1.60.
The Fire Department
Coleman has a yolonter fire company that we all
can, and do feel justly proud of. However, too few
realize just how much we are indebted to these pa-
triotic fire boys.
It is taken for granted that when the fire alarm
is sounded day or night, that in the shortest possi-
ble time the fire boys with the fire engine and chem-
ical will be on the spot to fight the fire. We go to
sleep at night with a feeling of security knowing
that if fire breaks out that the one paid fireman who
is always at the fire station will in a very few min-
utes have the boys on the machine and at the fire.
So when you hear the fire nlarm on a cold night
just remember that the fire boys are tumbling out
of a warm bed dressing as they run to go out and
m
Sanitary.
The continued wet weather that has prevailed
all fall and winter has seriously affected the sanitary
work of the City. It has really been an impossible
condition all winter. Every effort is being made
to get the town cleaned up, by putting on as many
extra men and teams as can be hired. If weather
conditions permit all sanitary work will soon be com-
pleted. The City has made a new contract for
keeping the town clean, which is expected to give
much better service than in the past. All patrons
have been advised to pay for sanitary work at the
City Hall, when they pay their water bill. The past
wet year has emphasized the great benefit of the
sewer system and also the great unsanitariness and
health menace of the dry closet. The inability of the
City to purchase and enlarge the sewer system, by
not being able to issue bonds for same was a great
misfortune. The sewer system should belong to the
City and as cheap, but serviceable non-freezing
comoders can be installed for a few dollars, sewerage
should be made compulsory when connections could
be made and the dry closet done away with. The
dry closet is not only si nusiance but is a menace to
the health of the City, it is objectionable from ev-
ery standpoint and should be done away with where
sewer connection can be made.
ITY COMMISSION, COLEMAN, TEXAS
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Hubert, Harry. The Democrat-Voice (Coleman, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 9, Ed. 1 Friday, February 27, 1920, newspaper, February 27, 1920; Coleman, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth746441/m1/3/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Coleman Public Library.