The funds available from special assessments are limited only by the benefit to the property assessed. The amount of the benefit is difficult to fix and may lead to much controversy. It should not exceed the amount demanded for similar work in other localities, unless unusual and well-understood reasons can be given.
=12. General Taxation.=—In paying for public improvements by general taxation the money is taken from the general municipal funds which have been apportioned for that purpose by the legislative department of the municipal government. This method of raising funds for sewerage construction is seldom used unless the political situation is unfavorable to the success of a bond issue or special assessment and the need for the improvement is great. It is usually difficult to appropriate sufficient funds for new construction as the general tax is apportioned to support only the operating expenses of the city, and statutory provisions limit the amount of tax which can be levied.
=13. Private Capital.=—Private capital has been used for financing sewerage works in some cases because of the aversion of the public in some cities to the payment of a tax for the negative service performed by a sewer. Sewers are buried, unseen, and frequently forgotten, but knowledge of their necessity has spread and the number of privately owned sewerage works is diminishing because of the better service which can be provided by the municipality.
Franchises are granted to private companies for the construction of sewers only after the city has exhausted other methods for the raising of capital. The return on the private capital invested is received from a rental paid by the city, or paid directly by the users of the system, an initial payment usually being demanded for connection to the system. To be successful the enterprise must be popular and must fill a great need. This method of financing sewerage works is seldom employed as favorable conditions are not common.
=14. Preparing for Design.=—Methods for the design of sewerage systems are given in Chapter V. Before the design is made certain information is essential. A survey must be made from which the preliminary map can be prepared as described in Art. 42. Other necessary information which is the basis of subsequent estimates of the quantity of sewage to be cared for must be obtained by a study of rates of water consumption and the density and growth of population, the measurement of the discharge from existing sewers, and the compilation of rainfall and run-off data. If no rainfall data are available estimates must be made from the nearest available data. Observations of rainfall or run-off for periods of less than 10 to 20 years are likely to be misleading. Methods for gathering and using this information are explained in subsequent chapters.