City Council 1882, bridges and school taxes

Brandon’s first mayor and aldermen were sworn in on July 3, 1882.

In October the new Council dealt with the state of city bridges and funding the school board.

On October 9, 1882,  Messrs. Ross, Killam and Haggart, Winnipeg lawyers, wrote that their clients wished to dispose of the bridges over the Assiniboine.

The matter was referred to the city solicitor. By December 4 Council was considering a report from the city engineers and from architect, Mr. McCoskrie, as to the stability of both bridges.

Joseph Woodworth, who owned First Street bridge, and Haggart, who was interested in the Eighteenth Street bridge, addressed  council and offered each structure for $25,000 “which amount could be reduced by such amount as was needed to complete it”.

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Mr. McCoskrie was doubtful about the stability of First Street bridge. [sound familiar?]

The council was so impressed by the addresses that the city solicitor was instructed to draw up a by- law for presentation to the people, council having agreed to the suggestion of Messrs. Woodworth and Taggart.

On December 26, 1882, on the motion of Aldermen Sifton and Ross, the bridge by-law was withdrawn for an unstated reason to the great disgust of the vendors.

As one traces the matter through the old minute books, written in sometimes almost undecipherable script, it becomes evident that the First Street bridge had no graded approaches.

Pedestrian and vehicular traffic went down the hill to cross the tracks.

The bridge was a low structure on a level with the railroad.

Five years afterward the city secured both bridges at a sum of approximately $5,000 each.

Brandon City Council, from the beginning, had business dealings with the Brandon School Board.

First reference to the Board’s finances concern the receipt of an account rendered to the Council with reference to the amount required for school purposes.

The date was September 4, 1882. On October 28, the Board asked the Council to include $15,000 worth of Debentures for school purposes in the new issue about to be sold by the Council.

This time the Board sent a delegation consisting of Reverend Mr. Ferries and Mr. William J. White.

Both gentlemen addressed the Council on the matter of city schools.

A month later, November 6, 1882, the School Board asked Council to furnish it with a revised list of all Protestant taxpayers.

The Council regretted that its lists did not give such information but that the Secretary-Treasurer might have access to them at his convenience.

The matter was settled by asking Reverend Father Joseph Robillard, chairman of the Roman Catholic Separate School, to furnish a list of Catholics.

All the rest would be Protestant –  delightful solution to a difficult question and indicative of the harmonious relations of all parties.

A month later City Council was requesting the School Board to supply it with a list of Protestant taxpayers so that it might determine the assessment for school purposes.

Red tape had reached the Assiniboine basin. The first money by-law passed the voters at the fall election in 1882.

The returning officer informed Council that by-law 19 had passed 116 for, and 3 against.

Thus the city could sell its debentures.

The numbers who voted give us some idea of the number of taxpayers in the infant city in 1882.

It also indicated the optimism of the taxpayers. In 1882, $150,000 was a large sum of money.
– The Assiniboine Basin by Martin Kavanagh

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