Show TOO MANY lANY COOKS The law provides that the board of or each of county commissioners Mon Monday Monday Monday county must between the 1st day in m July and the second Monday each fix the rate of m in August year ear I the and designate county taxes number of or mills on each dollar of valuation of property for each fund rund I and must Ie levy y taxes upon the tax tax- taxable taxable taxable able property of the county for gen gen- general gen gen- general general I eral county purposes But what happens 1 In some counties as ns man many as ao ele eleven en different finds of levies are made range rang horses and cattle cattle tuber tuber- tuber Provision ProvIsIOn i r made for sheep and goats mosquito abatement and and andi i iti ti levies leles le It ev its les It what not jot plus pIUS me e for state county and schools Each It taxing unit within the count county sub submits submits mits its proposed lev levy to the board of county commissioners Just so long as each unit remains within Its I own statutory limits it rt can go as asI I hIgh as it wishes and the board rd or of county commissioners has no PO power er ere e e een en cn to review V or revie their le levies leles les lesA A As 0 far as the county government rs JS concerned the board bou d of county commissioners may find many ways ays of economizing They ma may decIde upon a low le leBut levy But along comes the city government govel or the town gov government government government 01 or the school boards within that county who ho failing to recognize the economic necessity for 10 lowering levies may continue on the old hIgh level Unfortunately there is no limita limitation limitation tion beyond which these levies in m the aggregate may not ascend The only limitatIon is placed upon the individual ual unit but there is nothing in m the way to sa say that these units ma may not be indefinitely added upon or multi multiplied multiplied plied phed The result is the millage under which so many tax tax- taxpayers tax taxpayers payers in m the state are ale groaning In some ome counties that are poor and scat scattered over a wide Ide area the local levy totals as high as 67 57 mills milli That means that each year the taxpayers In that unit are arc asked asted to pay as ta es practically 6 per cent of the total assessed valuation of their prop property property erty This is almost equivalent to confiscatIOn The tabulation in m this issue shows the point to which these levies have grown due to the many mam agencies that the county commissioners to include property in m the count county and compel It in m the general lev levy What then is the remedy There are just too many agencies units and gl groups within the county that al are aie e authorized to add to the levy load And there is lacking one big protects e e feature in m our laws la viz A limit beyond which all the these e units collectively may not pass For instance suppose a law la were ere enacted that would specifically pro protest protect test teet the taxpayers ers b b bs stipulating that the a aggregate greg le levy ley y state county school city mosquito and what not sha shall not e exceed a certain thin millage The taxpayer is not interested so o much in m what the school Ie levy y in m which the counties lev levy or what the city's levy must be what he wants ants to know is What do they a all total For it is the grand total that determines the tax burden Since there seems to be no way of limiting the number or varieties of actIvIties within the county the only hope lies hes in m placing a limitation up upon on on the aggregate ag levy Then the these e agencies within the coun ty county WI will be compelled to dish distribute it thit th y Ic among themselves as they theys s see fitA fit fitA A trial cn case e was ns had some J years eal s sago ago in which a certain county boal board d dof of commissioners attempted to place a limit upon the city school levy Y The decision was ns handed do down don n against the county commission But from the standpoint of common commonsense commonsense commonsense sense and good economics economies that pour PO I power pourer er should e have been delegated to the county havethe commission They should have the right to go Int into all these county units to determine the manner m in 0 which their affairs arc are being conduct conduct- conducted conducted conducted ed so that a uniform program of economy could be inaugurated Other Otherwise Rise olse the efforts toward economy conomy on the part of anyone any one group are arc corn com comI completely neutralized by the extravagance ag of others I Here is Ie a case cace in point In one or of orthe the large counties the commIssIon commIssIoners ers era arc seizing upon c every ciery er legitimate de device deIce Ice to 10 lower er the e expenditures for forthe forthe forthe the remainder of or the year ear let ct m in ma ina ina a parallel column with Ith this state statement statement statement the ment appears the notice that city got gO government within that count county expects to increase the levy Such instances are dl discouraging to public offICIals who are trying to use the public dollar doar as wisely as they do doI their own personal mone money It WI will rc require legislation leg to car cor correct carrest correct rest this defect But in m the mean mean- meantime meantime meantime time public officials should sense the responsibility to curtail and to save i m in vita view of or the present depressIon A All public agencies should particIpate m in the general movement to keep down expenditures to lower levIes and to exact less from the depleted pockets of the taxpayers ers |