2800 Report of Sewer Commissioners Recommending Construction of a Sewerage System, February, 1907

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r 4 5 at the start a reasonably comprehensive system can the cost ting on more than one sewered street, no part thereof shall be assessed be apportioned fairly and in a manner such that the town more than once whether on the basis of area or of valuation." treasury will be sure to bear no more than the 25 per cent. The valuations of the abutting strips of land are to be made which common consent has assigned as its proper share of the by the assessors and certified by them to the Sewer Commis- cost. For this reason any one who finds that the plan calls sioners. li very land-owner is required, within three months for a sewer in front of his property is urged to consider the from the publication of the Commissioners' list of assessments, question of a sewerage system less in relation to his own par- { to pay the amount of his tax with interest at the rate of 5 per ticular needs than in the broad aspect of the question as re- r, cent. per annum from the time of the posting of the list; pro- lated to the welfare of the community in which he lives. i vided, however, By the terms of the existing law the Commissioners are re- "that the sewer commissioners, on written request from any owner made quired, upon the completion of the original installation of within said three months, shall apportion his tax into such number of equal sewers, to determine the cost of the finished work, including parts,not exceeding ten, as he may specify in the request,one of such parts therein their estimate of any land damages. Of the total cost with interest thereon at said rate to be payable in each succeeding calendar 75 per cent. is to be assessed upon and paid by the respective year on such day as the commissioners, when making the apportionment, owners Of the land abutting On the ways in which the sewers shall determine; and provided, further, that if in any particular case a tax assessed in accordance with the provisions of this act shall in the opinion shall have been built. The remaining 25 per cent. is to be of said commissioners be in excess of the special benefit derived by the land paid out of the town treasury. This 75 per cent. assessment is concerned, they shall, on the owner's written request within said three laid upon land alone, and regardless of whether it has or has months, abate the amount of said excess. Nothing herein, however, shall not any buildings upon it. Nothing is assessed upon buildings. be construed as preventing an owner or any party in interest from paying The assessment is made upon the land for a depth of not more at any time, notwithstanding its prior apportionment, the whole balance than One hundred feet from the street line. Of this special of a given tax, including interest computed to the date of such payment." abutter's tax two-thirds is laid upon the abutting lands pro It will thus be seen that any one may at his option pay his rata according to their area, and one-third pro rata according sewer tax at once and be permanently rid of it,or have it dis- to their value, as appears from Section 3 of the Act, which reads tributed over a period of not more than ten years. as follows:— The Commissioners repeat here the concluding paragraph "S]'CTION 3. In the case of each abutting estate said assessment shall Of the former report: be laid upon the owner's whole lot or tract if the same nowhere extends "It is to be remembered that under this plan the town, to the extent back from the side line of the street or way more than one hundred feet; of three-fourths of the cost of constructing the system, is not incurring a otherwise upon so much of the lot or tract as lies between such side line debt to be paid from the proceeds of ordinary taxes, but one to be paid by and a line drawn parallel with and one hundred feet back therefrom. The the owners of land abutting on the sewered streets. For their benefit the sewer commissioners shall ascertain the total area of all the lots and strips town loans its credit,but it will be fully reimbursed the 75 per cent.portion of land benefited, not including land owned by the town, and compute ' of the debt, and that, too,within ten years. No burden of taxation, there- the aggregate value of them,exclusive of buildings,according to valuations fore,in the ordinary sense of the term,will result,except such as shall arise furnished by the assessors of the town for the purpose; and thereupon from the one-fourth part of the debt which falls upon the town. As to shall determine approximately the fraction of a cent per square foot which,, this, the annual interest charge will be less than $2,000 a year, and the if paid on said total area, would produce substantially two-thirds of the distribution of payments of principal may easily be arranged so that pay- above mentioned seventy-five per cent. of total cost, and determine ap- ments of interest and principal together will not exceed $4,000 a year. proximately also the rate per one thousand dollars valuation which, if paid This calculation assumes that the town's share of the debt (estimated to on said aggregate value, would produce substantially one-third of said amount at the outside to$50,000) shall be made payable within twenty- i seventy-five per cent. of total cost. The rates so determined shall be paid five years at the rate of$2,000 each year." on the area and assessed value respectively of each lot or strip of land sub- ject as aforesaid to this local tax. In the case of corner lots and lots abut- The above calculation assumes $200,000 as the total cost of