Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 February 1915 — Benefit of Roads to Non-Abutting Property Owners [ARTICLE]

Benefit of Roads to Non-Abutting Property Owners

The road-building specialists of the department, in Bulletin No. 136, entitled “Highway Bonds,” have the following to say about the benefit of a well constructed highway to property owners whose property is not directly on the road to be improved: In planning the highway system Or the main market roads it will be found necessary to omit many roads the improvement of which is greatly desired by abutting landowners. The fact that such property'holders must pay a tax for the bond issue is only an apparent injustice, for if the highway system is well planned the entire county will feel the benefits of the improvement. As a rule, main market roads reach the majority of producing areas ; and wbe they are improved all land values tend to increase. i The Tact that cities and larger towns i are frequently taxed for bond issues to build highways outside of their own limits is sometimes made a point of debate in bond elections. It is argued that because a large part of the county wealth is within the corporate limit of such cities -and towns highway bond money should also -be used to construct their streets. It is even urged that the expenditure should be Jaafle proportionate to the assessed valuation within the city limits. If the proceeds of highway bond issues txibuted to this way their purpoay to *9, SMee would __