The City Council Stalls on Gas and Power Franchise
Debate over rates and street-lighting costs leads to an indefinite delay for the Walla Walla Gas Company’s proposal.
For sundry reasons the council last night failed to get the ordinance granting the Walla Walla Gas company a 25-year electric franchise past its second reading, the principal one being that Councilman Smith saw several defects in the ordinance as it was read. His chief objection was that the rate per year the company is to pay the city is entirely too low in consideration of the fact that the company is paid many thousands of dollars of the city's money each year for street lighting. Chairman McLean of the judiciary committee, which had the handling of the ordinances, urged its passage on the ground that the company was anxious to secure the franchises as soon as possible. Upon Smith's objection, Manager Burrows of the company, who was present, said it did not matter if the ordinance was laid over a couple of weeks, and then passage was deferred until the next regular meeting.
“His chief objection was that the rate per year the company is to pay the city is entirely too low.”
Public utilities were a massive point of contention in 1903 Walla Walla, much as they are today. The struggle to balance corporate franchise agreements with fair compensation to taxpayers is a perennial civic challenge that echoes through city hall records for over a century.
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