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Show TAXPAYERJNSWERED Editor Lohl Sun. Dear Sir: Doing n tnxpayor and unfortunately ono of tho present 'Criminal City Officials," I also would Hko space In your paper, that I may attempt to answer tho Individual who asks us to como out llko MEN nnd do fond our olllclal nets, and then himself him-self hides behind tho sobriquet of "Taxpayer." 1 am a believer In good, wholosomo, constructive criticism, but I do not think It comos with good grnco from ono who first pleads his lgnornnco of tho City's affairs, and then finds fault with tho administration for Its conduct con-duct of them. Mr Tnxpayor, you liavo takon groat Interest in your city's business and no doubt by this tlmo you have found out Its valuation, tho amount of rovonuo rocelved, and how much It Is mortgaged for. I admit that tho levy is high, tho valuation fnlr, but whon you consldor our Indobtcdnoss, tho amount ot revcniiQ la small Indeed. Dut I assort that tho present condition of affairs demands It, and that If good business policies are to bo followed by futuro administrations and tho honest obligations obli-gations voted by tho cltlzons oro mot, you need not expect to bo unburdened for somo tlmo. You say you would llko to know how much moro money wo will recolvo from taxes this year than lost. For your Information 1 will say that according ac-cording to figures avallnblo It will bo $1.13. Tills does not Include tho spoclnl 15 mill lovy for tho building of a City Hall, (which will bo used for that pur-poso) pur-poso) but It docs Includo tho oxtra l.G mill lovy In tho general tax. Ot tho amount to bo collected this year, $11,000.00 Is levied to pay off Indebtedness, Indebt-edness, nnd $5,000 will bo used to pay Intorcst on out-standing bonds nnd notes. Concerning tho cloctlon which you say should have beon called before tho City Hall was startod. Suroly ns a taxpayer you wore at tho largo mass meeting callod for that purposo, when It wna decided to put up such a building. You romembor, don't you, that this plnco was started by the last administration You nro also nwaro oo doubt that tho Stato law provldos that a 5 mill lovy may bo mado for this purposo. Now concerning tho misappropriation misappropri-ation of funds nnd tho spending of all tho tax6s beforo thoy aro rocolvod. Do you know, Mr. Taxpayer, that whon tho present officials took ofilco that thoy had lo borrow monoy to pay the last month's bills of tho out-going Council? And thoy nlso no doubt had tr fin ilin anmn Tn vsti. t.Mn... M Taxpayer, that tho present Council took $5,000.00 of last year's tnxos and $5,000.00 from tho Sinking Fund nnd rotlred $10,000.00 worth of bonds? Do you know that when tho Peoplo's Bank closed thoro wns $10,000.00 thoro for that purpose, that $3,000.00 of It Is now available, and that whon this year's taxes aro reeclvod wo will bo able to rotlro $8,000.00 moro of bonds and still have $7,000.00 In tho Sinking Fund7 Do you seo any misappropriation misappropri-ation of funds in this caso? Do you not think It Is good business to pay off this old Indebtedness oven with high taxes rathor than bo paying from $5,000 to $0,0000 dollnra a year for Interest In-terest as wo nro now doing? Or would you ndvl.no tho borrowing of moro monoy and tho reduction of tho lovy Just so It would pay tho Interest each yoar? I slncoroly hopo tho recommendation of Mayor Gardnor 1b followed noxt yoar, that tho cltlzons bo callod In mass mooting nnd glvon a tmo, open report of tho City's financial condition, and that tho peoplo fix the lovy tliomsolvos. Do you know. Sir, that tho tax payors owe to tho city for tholr sldo-walks sldo-walks moro now than tho original cost, notwithstanding somo havo paid theirs? I tako It for granted yours has been paid. Tho street dopartmont Is carrying this load and tho city Is paying In-toroBt In-toroBt on this investment which ia considerable. With roforonco to tho condition of tho roads of which you speak. Tako tlmo to flguro how much revenue n 3 mill tax gives this dopartmont. Havo you compared tho condition of our stroots with thoso of othor towns? Do wo often havo such a soft, opon wlntor ns wo had last year? Do you recall tho terrlblo condition 'in which tho stroots woro loft last fall duo (o tho detourlng of tho Stato St. traffic whllo that street was being paved? Havo you considored tho damngo dono by high wator this yoar? Havo you Inspected tho 3 now con-croto con-croto brldgos put In this Bummer7 Havo you any fault to find with tho sprinkling this season. Havo you investigated tho good being dono by tho drain on Confer Streot and tho lowor part of town? Do you know that tho rosldonts helped tho city to put-tli cm in? Haven't you notlcod tho good nccompllshod by loworlng tho oul-vorts oul-vorts at somo of tho crossings? If not why don't you invostlgato somo' of thoso things and thon advise us ns to how wo could havo dono bettor with tho moans at hand? Do you know, Mr. Taxpoyor, that It la now costing tho City from $2,500 to $3,000 oach year for Its streot lighting light-ing nnd that thoro Is hardly a meeting that we do not recolvo requests for moro lights? When these things aro asked for do peoplo consldor tho cost? Aro thoy not Justified In saying "I am liolplpg to pay for ono on ray neighbors neigh-bors block, why should I be denied?" Tills Is also truo of tho water works. W. Ml Do you know how mnny now connections con-nections havo boon mado tho past yoar and how many hundrod foot ot plpo used? If not Hguro It out and seo how long It will bo at tho present rato for wator bofor tho City will bo-rolm-bursod. As for tho "up and down town Ilugaboo" of which you speak, I know that this Council has novor consldor- cd any division. As proof ot this look up tho distribution of tho City's bust- : no88 nt tho stores, whero tho streets havo been ropnlred, tho sprinkling dono, light and wator extensions made, tho condition of tho parkB, nnd tho distribution of work genornlly. About tho creation ot Jobs for our soIvob nnd families. I think this la nnothor Dugaboo. Mr. Dlckerson was glvon Ills Job by n commlttoo appointed appoint-ed by tho Council nnd tho Library Commltoo, as was also Mr. Lott, and from estimates mado on tho building, wo hnvo dono tho work for from $5,000 to $0,000 dollars loss than It wouJd havo cost had tho building boon contracted. con-tracted. Yet notwithstanding all this I know that thoro oro thoso Goldon Rulo citizens who would prefer this work to go to somo ono outsldo tho City rathor than to thoso two gontlo-mon, gontlo-mon, Just bocnuso thoy happen to bo membors of tho Council nnd thoroforo either criminals or lnsnno. Wus Mr. Gilchrist a criminal mayor hocauso ho wars paid for kooplng Wlnos Park In shape? Was Mr. Uroad-bent Uroad-bent crazy bocauso tho City paid his sons for driving tho sprinkler nnd attending at-tending to tho cemetery whllo ho was In tho Council? Now, Mr. Tnxpayor, of courso you woro nt tho prlmarlos nnd holped to solcct at least ono ot tho prcaont tickets. Why did you not asplro na an honest, sane citizen to tho ofilco of Mayor that wo may havo tho bonoflt of your suporlor bUslnoss ability For If ou can glvo us "Dread (without tho dough) Instoad of stones," I should havo been most plonsod to voto for you. W. A. KNIGHT. |