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Minutes 08-07-50MINUTES OF THE ~EGUi~R ~EETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, AT THE CITY HALL ON THE 7th OF AUGUST, 1950o The City Council convened a~ the regular meeting at the City Halls at 7°30 P.M., August 7, 1950~ Councilmen present: Mr. F. L. Purinton Mr~ A. E. Shook Mr,~G.H. Hood° The meeting was called to order by the Mayor, The Minutes of the meeting of July 17 were read by City Clerk Dorothy V~ Williams, and accepted as read on motion of Mr. Shook seconded by Mr. Hood~ Bills 0~Kayed for payment Gen. Fund. 01zv~r Falconelli 350,00 Frank Mtze 32.25 The Selig Company 45~33 Arcade Electric Co. 93.10 Shaw Brothers 0il Co. ii.~8 Standard 0il Co. 5.52 City of Delray Beach 25.00 Neptune Meter Co. 193.50 W. S~ Darlsy & Cc. 20.79 Atlantic National Co. 3~00 Cameron & Barkley Co. Rin~er~Hansen~ Inc. 153 ~ 93 Delray Beach Fire Dept. ll&.95 Art Concrete ~orks &0.50 Glenn Murray 76 ~ 57 Veterans Construction Co. 12~00 Boynton Beach News 26.80 A~C.Wippe_~ ~ Associates 3~43 Calgon, ~Inc. 152~50 Dave Lanier ~0! Willie Butler 12,00 Leonard Harris 36~00 Lee Thomas 39,70 Charlie Waters 31o $0 Parker Ward 33,00 Water Fund. Depositors Soiomen Pitts 33.00 Sam Murray 33.00 Henry Cooper 31,80 John Johnson 31.80 Ac C. CarvEr 129o30 No 0. Marshall ll~.50 H. R. Daugharty !03~90 Dorothy V, W~I~ 116.90 ~uriel W~ Herring 7~50 Varela Shramko 26~30 ~ohn Bell 76 · 00 ~ohn E. Rauierson Frank E. Cline F. L. Purinton 50.00 A. E. Shook 50°00 Henry Merkel Jr. 50.00 Clifford ~ovinoe 50.00 C. H. Hood 50,00 Robert F. Griffith 50,00 Ralph ~. Chapman 50~00 Frank Nutting 25~00 John L. McNames 75°00 Miss Alice Kelly i0o00 A~ma Cline ~07 Billy D~ Bell 50~90 R~ G. Greenv,~ood 50~00 Petty Cash 85~22 John R. Ross 390.~ Leonard Harris 35~25 ~illie Butler 33,00 Dave Lanier ~4,01 Lee Thoams ~1~65 Parker Ward 35.25 Solomon Pitts 3~.00 Sam Murray 30.60 Henry Cooper 31.80 John Johnson 33~75 Charlie Waters 33,75 James H, J~rne¥ 118.80 72.00 7.50 Mr. ~h~rinton welcomed the large number of the general public present and esked for opinions from them. The following Petition was presented and read by Mrs.Williams: Boynton Beach, F!orida~ August 7th, 1950. TO T~HONORABLE BOARD OF ~JTY C0~$~ISSIONERS: We, the undersigned Taxpayers, feel that the proposed Real Estate Card Index System is an absolute waste of our money. And we believe that this money could be put ~o farmore constructive uses to benefit all~ However, if a system is necessary, it should be placed on z competitive bid basis and accomplished with less expense to us~ Although at this time with probable creased Federal Taxes we are opposed to anything which will increase our City taxas~ ~51 signatures were attaehed)~ Mr~ Winston McGregor said that although he had nothi~g to do with the Petition, signatures to which had been obtained during l½ hours only, it seemed to him that there were many more things that might be considered more necessary at this time than a card index system~ Mr. Purinton stated that the City a~ present had not suffic- ient k~owledge on which to base a fair tax s~tem; that every town on the East Coast, excepting Boynton, had adopted a card index system, and that a wrong impression had been formed that the real reason for installing one in BoFnton was that t~xes were to be raised, which is not the case. He said that about four years ago when it became obvious that the City books w~re in such a chaotic state that it was considered e necessity to set them up pr_operly, however large the cost, about $9,000 had been spent on the project. A quastion was asked as to where the money was to be obtained other than through taxes~ ~ Purinton rsplied that there had been a rumour that the City was running into debt, whereas it was never in a better position fiBancially~ and that all bills have been paid as receivsd$ He greatly regretted that people had baan misinformed ragarding the reason for the card index. Answering a question, Mt.Shook said that he paid taxes as large as anyone in to,~a, and if the reason for the card index system had been for the increase of taxes~ ks voul~ be the first to object. Mr, Harry Geller, from Lantana, said that h~ had come on his ov~ volition to testify to the important advantageE of such a system; that in his experience in the North and in L~ntana they did not know what they were assessing and were wasting time and money until such a system was installed. A small town in N.T. State had paid $12,000 fox,setting one up. It ensured that all public texas would be equalisad. Lan~aua had spent $4,800 for their system, although they had only 200 houses, and seemed very satisfied. In reply to a question from Mr~McGregor as to the differanca between a book and a card system, ~ir, Purinton stated that there is nothing in the City Hall at present which gives a detailed cription of property 25 to ~0 years old, and that it is n~cessary to find out what is being taxed~ In reply to a question as to how details can be obtained~ Mr. Hatless stated that the o~ners of the various houses and lots would be approached in this connection and that full co-operation was expected. Nrs~ Williams~ City Clerk~ stated that ~util a few years ago building inspectors did not turn in reports on the completion of buildings for which permits had been given~ and that there are no drzwings or other details of these older buildings avail- ableo Reference was ~ade tc the small number of people v~no bother to come in on Equalization Board Day to enquire about their taxes, ~r~ Purinton stating that this year only one person turned up~ The ~ayor stated that Bankers and other business men had a feeling of ~Hands off Boynton~, because ofthings not being straightened out~ At presentwe do not know the age of buildings or the state they are ~,~z. Shook referred to ~ne grea~ progress made oy during the last six years~ saying ~hat~.if we wish to continue tc progress we must keep up with the times~ To get the whole City surveyed would cost about ~150,000 and, from what has been chacked into, we find that we shall be getting out very cheaply at $4,000. ~¢ss,Adams stated that in the thirties a survey of properties was made and asked why this was nco on the books. This raised the %uestion of Homesteading~ Mr~ Purinton stated that it was impossible to raise taxes in accusation with Homesteading; that a house valued at ~10,000 was assessed for one-third of its value~ that is for $3,300 only. ~s~ Ad,ns asked if the ~5,000 could not be deducted first° ~r. Purinzon replied that the law in this co~msction co~Id not be changed. ~r. Shook said that many people claimed Homestead axemption while living and voting in the North, and suggested that our news- paper could help greatly by drawing attention ~o the fact that there are people qho should not be given such exemption. ~ention was made of one individual who voted here and in the North as well~ Er~ Harless, asked for his remarks, said that in all fair- ness to the home owners of s~all properties he feels that the most valuable property in to%vn should be assessed at more than $10 a foot; that some prcperty along the highway is ~10 a foot, and in scattered residential districts properties are from $& to $5 a foot. This calls for ~quaiisation and the object is to have each individual pay his share of the tax on the property he ow~s. The whole thing is to equatiss values and the City would come ou% with more value on the tax roll t~ at the pres= ant time~ ~ome properties are within 40 to 50% of raal value, others within 10%. Each individual piece of property will be analysed. Nr. Hatless went into great detail in describing exactly the amount of work necessary and said he had muca of this information in his office where a good deal of the work could be done. He then asked for further questiona~ Replying to one regarding cost ha said it was not expensive considering the ~ou~t of ~rk to be done; that it would not bring Homestead homes above the $$,000 figure,- that is, the average $7,500 to $8,000 homes~ that a good tax structure is a good economic foundation, sad that discrep~ ancies will creep in unless there is a perm~uent record~ ~ ~urinton stated that the City had never had s system but has been working on the same records for the lest 25 years, and that other towns would not have paid so much fo~ their card system~ if they had not been necessary. Nr~ Ross asked what tofore~ the basis of assessment had been here~ Mr. Purznton replied that the Commzsszoner had sat around the table and settled everythzno more or less by guess work~ and that now they will set the rate ~fter they have received the detailed information; that some values might be ramsed, while others might be lowared~ Now taxes are ~3z/3 and might be less~ ~iro Shook said that if the Commissioners wauted to raise taxes they could raise them to 50%, but they don't want to do it, ~hey only want equalisation. If business people come in to buy, a good tax system set-up is absolutely necessafy~ Nr~ Clifford Rich suggested that taking an appraisal now would be batter than under war conditions. !~r.Harless replied that it would make no difference as the values would be based on 1949 values. Mr. McGregor asked about the assessment of vacant lots, and ~ir~ Hatless replied that such assessments would be taken from the plat~ ~Lr. McGregor still expressed doubt that it would t~ke $4,000 to look up the houses in Boynton~ and said he was not arguingagainst the card index system but against the cost, especially against the $4,000 being quoted as the "minimum cost~. Nr. Purinton replied that none of ou~ neighbours had in- stalled a system for so little, ~ud that by making a choice of the best points of their systems we had been able to do it for less cost; that our much smaller neighbour with less money than we have would hardly have -wasted money in installing such a system un,ess it would benefit sverybOdy by resulting in a settled tax structure. He added that other communities, when consulted, had asked how on earth we had got along without such a systam~ Nr~ Clifford Rich said that the City of Boynton should be complimented on having such progressive man for Commi~ssioners, and also on having the help of Mr~ HarleSs~ The Mayor said that hs was quits satisfied that Mro Hatless had the qualifications necsssary for the work, and that the argu= merits and discussion of the evening had been very interesting~ Mr. Kennsth Adams said he had been away from the City for two years and had never in biz life seen so much improvement in any othsr City in such a short time~ The Mayor thanked the general public for attending the mssting and expressed the hope that as many would toms to the next mssting~also. The question of sewerage was then raised and M~.McGregor asked if anything had besn set aside to build up this system. Mr. Purinton replied that it would bo~ from ~ quarter to half a million dollars, and would have to be a Federal mattsr because neither the Stats nor County have got that amount of money~ and that the City had neve~rep~at~don~t$!~th~hgh~ this is what we are working towards. Er. EcGregor mentioned the possibility of an epidemic from lack of good sswerage and ~. Shook replied that thers are many objects to bs accomplishsd but that the City cannot do them all, Mr. Purinton stated that the City water had always passed frequent tssts satisfactorily, ~n$ that if the prssent sewerage system could be 0ondemned the Fedsral Government would have to come and do something about it. ~. McGregor said that many small towns are assessed for sewerage and pay for it with their water bills. ~ir. Purinton replied that that would raise taxes~ which is the only revsnue the City has, and what would people think of that~ He added that the Co~mission would wslcome any suggestion that 0ould be worked on regarding the tremendous subject of a sewer s~tem; that the presen~ system could nco be repaired and tha~ a new one could never be paid for by taxes, but ~ould have to be financed with bonds. Then followed a discussion of the City water system, and Mr. Purinton stated that whils there is plenty of water thsre are not tbs pipss to carry it to the users. Mr, McGregor ~uggested that the $~,000 sarmarked for the card system be dive, ted to pipa~, repsating that he still could not sss how that system could cost so much. b~. Shook said that if ~McGrsgor had gone through the matter as thoroughly as had the Co~missioners, he would not b~ so doubtful about the cost. -? ~s~ Williams then read the following letters: From the Lake }~orth Drainage Board expressing thanks for the use of the Casino. From the Chamber of Commerce expressing thanks for the interest sho-~ in the fishing contest and for the donation of a Captain,s prize~ From neighbours of Bedford ~ones protesting against the barking of dogs~ Mr~ Marshall, with reference to this matter, said the writers should have called the Police Department, who, so far, have received no complaint, but that he would now take the letter over to the Police Department and deal with it. From Ann Barrett asking why the Cit~ Authorities did not have %unsightly lots in the City cleaned. Nr. Pu~nton instructed that this letter be turned over to Er. Reulerson~ From Kenneth Adams drawing atten~zon~ to the serious c ' ' ondztzon caused by rain wa~er draining into his propsr~ ty~ ~r. ~arinton stated it as his opinion that ~ ~ the house level was lower than the road, it should be filled in by the ovcner~ although he did no~ know the legal position in the matter, He instructed that the letter be re= ferred to Nr. Rauterson~ Yhe ~ayor then brought up the matter of Civilian Defence. He stated that Delray Beach had appropriated $18,000 for this purpose, but that Boynton had not got even $1,800. He said that internal ~rouble is feared more than in the last war~ and that the Cit~ water ~lan~o ~ should be protected with a°~enc~= if neoes= sary if the danger increases. He added that if things are not done we sDm~ be severely criticised if anything happens~ and ecual!y criticised ~¢ - z~ we prepare and nothing happens. it was suggested that a fence ~lEht be put round the ladder at leas expense. ~s. Williams read a memo on the cost of barbed v&re for this purpo~e~ l~r~ Arthuz Wor~^-~ c ~ · ~ , ~=z_ om~!ained of rain Water draining from the Hzgnway on to his property~ Mr, PUri nton replied that this matter will be put right by the Construction Company repairing the road at the present time~ and that~ in the meantime he ~G go and look it OVer. r~- ~ GriFfith re~erred to co .... ~rc~ng the amount-of ~ .... =~xazn~s received from ,~ - ~yn~on Co-operative ~'~r~et. ~na~ ~xant temper- Mr. Marshall said he had contacted t~he head man on the job, who had promised that at any tine the wind blew From the West they WOuld Stop the operation, · -=~= said that as the d~st annoys SeVeral peoole it is a Public nuisance and a matter for the City. ~r. Pu~nton suggested that a letter be ~-~tten to the Com~ party, although they seem very willing to do =ny~h~ng POSSible. They had ~ · - ~ re~e~ved no Permit from the City as they are operating on private property~ The concensus of opinion was that a water sprinkling system would correct the nuisance, although this would be expensive~ ~ ~ o~ing no Further business the }~ayor declared Meeting adjourned, City ~' -