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<br />President Common Council Singature.
<br />President Board of Aldermen Signature.
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<br />MAYOR'S VETO.
<br />May 16 ,1918.
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<br />To E.T. Carruthers, Clerk of the Common Council.
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<br />I veto and herewith return to you to be tranamitted to the Common
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<br />Council of the City, the resolution passed by said body on the 11th of April,
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<br />1918, and concurred in by the Board of Aldermen on the 13th day of May, 1918
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<br />appropriating $7,500. to lay concrete on a certain portion of West Main Street
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<br />or Ivy Road, as specified in said resolution, the distance being one-fourth, of
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<br />a mile. My reasons for this action are as follows:
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<br />As you all know the city only gets revenue from a portion of one side of
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<br />the street on which this improvement is proposed to be made, all of the South
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<br />side and a portion of the Nort. side (along there) being in Albemarle County,
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<br />have closely inspected this along with other important and much traveled
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<br />streets that are wholly in the city, namely, Park, High, Fifth Street S.W.,
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<br />Monticello Road and many other less traveled streets, and find all badly in need
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<br />of repair. On this particular street we have the stree railway company to
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<br />deal with, Under the abnormal conditions under which we are now living, owing
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<br />to the high cost of labor and material, I feel that it would be unreasonable
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<br />to require the company to perform its part of the work, and much more unreason-
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<br />able for the city to do all the work, except the $2,000. so generaously offered
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<br />by Dr. Alderman as a donation from the University (and just here I want to
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<br />express my appreciation of tris kind offer). I am informed that more than 100
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<br />public service corporations now have petitions before the State Corroration
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<br />Commssion seeking increases in rates. This city is simply a corporation,
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<br />laboring under the same abnormal conditions other core,orations are laboring
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<br />under. At the end of the fiscal year, September 1,1916 our records show that
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<br />all work on streets and sanitation thatyear cost $20,048.63. September 1,1917,
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<br />the records show a cost for this work of $31,860.68, a small portion of this
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<br />was spent in the annexed territory. For tris year, under the recommendation
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<br />of tre city Manager and Finance Committee, the sum of $34,477.93 was appropriated
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<br />for streets and sanitation. me still have three and a half months of this fiscal
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<br />year to work in, and the City Vanager tells me that only about $6,957. of this
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<br />appropriation is left.
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<br />From the new territory was annexed to the first of next September, we have
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<br />collected and expect to collect from this territory $23,720.00. The City Manager
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<br />tells me up to this time about $24,000. has been spent in this territory,
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<br />It must be taken care of for the balance of the year wrich will amount to
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<br />several thousand dollars. The various estimates of the city's part of the
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<br />proposed improvernent, which is in the new territory, runs from $7,500. to
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<br />$12,500. , to Say nothing of the cost to the Street Railway Company, which,
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<br />Mr. Livers tells me, the company cannot possibly stand. Our floating dept
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<br />September1,1916 was $18,232. September 1,1918 it will be about $45,0001
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<br />( some say more) Notwithstanding our revenues are increasing from year to year.
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<br />I am as much in favor of permanent improvements as any one of you and would most
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<br />heartily favor this if I felt that we could finance this and also do justice
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<br />to other sections of the city. To get oil for our streets, which is a health
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<br />preserver, I think should be done, we will be forced to borrow the money.
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<br />The oxcess in expenditures over appropriations satisfies me t1lat we will again
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<br />run behind, and another increase in the cloating debt will. be the result,
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<br />If there is not a halt called this city will be forced to do just as other
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<br />corporations are doing, --ask and demand an increase in assessments and license
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<br />on every conceivable thing that can be taxed. To avoid this let's reduce expenses
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<br />and defer spending money on everyt'ning that can wait, and only spend in the
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<br />interest of healtn and safety, until conditions become nearer normal.
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<br />At present, gentlemen, ler us move cautiously.
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<br />Respectfully submitted,
<br />(Signed) E. _ . Haden, Mayor.
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