The City Hall Tug-of-War Over Power
A legal opinion opens the door for a private utility to power a public school, sparking a heated debate over city charter boundaries.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Colonel J. J. Anderson, assistant city attorney, has rendered an opinion regarding the matter of letting the T. R. & P. company deliver electric current to the Horace Mann school for heat and power. Colonel Anderson says, 'I find nothing in the charter which would prevent the city, by resolution, from giving the T. R. & P. company the right to furnish power or light in the section indicated. We are not in favor of violating the charter, but can't hew to the line too closely on account of possible injury to the school.' It is understood that a resolution in accordance with Colonel Anderson's opinion will be introduced in the council next Wednesday night. If such is the case, the resolution will be strongly opposed by some of the councilmen. Some of the members hold that the T. R. & P. cannot legally sell power in a section not covered by its franchise, and the charter prohibits the sale of electric current for lighting.
“We are not in favor of violating the charter, but can't hew to the line too closely on account of possible injury to the school.”
This 1904 dispute over franchise boundaries and public versus private provision of electricity echoes current debates in Tacoma regarding how the city manages infrastructure and public utilities in a rapidly growing urban landscape.
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