Show FliUJri1KfflR I Y BASKIN Annual Report Submitted by Him Last Evening EXPENSES TO BE MET METI I COST OP ItUXMIVGr TilE CITY THIS I YEAR ReciejUs From Taxes This Year Will Fall Below thc Receipts for 1S03 Opposed io Increasing the Rate Police and Other Departments Following is the annual report of Mayor Baskin which was submitted to the city council last evening I Salt Lake City Utah Feb 1 To the President and City Council I GentlemenI have the honor of submitting sub-mitting to you this my second annual I report to which is appended the reports i re-ports of the various departments of the city TREASURERS REPORT I The treasurers report shows the receipts of the city for the year ending end-ing December 31 1893 including the I cash on hand January 1 1893 to have been 116795601 and the disbursements i I to have been 116128757 leaving a i balance in the treasury of 667744 The balance shown by the auditors report falls short of the treasurers I balance 1131 The unpaid liabilities of the city up to Dec 31 1893 are as follows Appropriation lists awaiting payment 128405 51 Estimates due on street paving pav-ing and sidewalks 71500 00 I Unpaid salaries and labor I payrolls 2500000 i Refund on sewer extensions 14500 00 Outstanding warrants December Decem-ber 31 1893 10223 41 I Since the first of the present year there has been added to said liabilities the following sums Sundry expenses 10000 00 On payrolls 20000 00 Estimated expenditures on city and county building due January 31 1894 12500 00 There will fall due within six months interest on bonds 42825 00 Under a fair estimate It will require to complete the gravity sewer etc and to defray the indispensible cost of the city government for the current year the following sums Gravity sewer 213000 00 Land at mouth of same 20000 00 I City and county building 50000 00 Furniture for same 20000 00 i Police fire and health departments I depart-ments 9000000 New city jail present one condemned con-demned by grand jury 40000 00 Interest on bonds due August 20 1894 12500 00 Interest on bonds due December Decem-ber 20 1894 30325 00 i Salaries and labor payroll 85000 00 I One new crematory present one not being sufficient to dispose of the garbage 10000 00 Miscellaneous disbursements 40000 00 Street lighting 30000 00 Total 975775 92 THE ASSETS The current expenses of running the various departments of the city must be met if possible The payments of the citys liabilities lighting the streets and the completion of the gravity sewer and joint city and county building build-ing are also matters of pressing necessity neces-sity The only available assets with which to meet these matters are as follows Cash on hand January 1 1894 6666 13 Delinquent special taxes now due 3529321 Delinquent special taxes due February 28 24559 24 Delinquent special taxes due June 4 13425 18 Delinquent special taxes due December 4 1382726 Rebate on watermain extension exten-sion sidewalks sewers etc 16895 40 Estimated revenue from licenses licen-ses 115000 00 I Estimated fines in police court 15000 00 Estimated miscellaneous sources 10000 00 Estimated paving for Salt > Lake Street Railway company j com-pany on West Temple 10000 00 Estimated paving for said company on Main First and Second South 24000 00 Undelivered bonds 10000 00 Total 300666 42 These receipts deducted from the required liabilities will leave a balance to be met by the city during 1894 of 67511250 TAXES FOR 1894 The amount of the city taxes for 1893 i was 215485 The taxes for the present pre-sent year will in all probability fall below that sum and they will not become l be-come delinquent until Octobter next and should be held to meet the current I cur-rent expenses of the city for 1895 tl j have not included them among the available assets for this year The last assessment roll is in round i numbers forty three millions of dollars dol-lars two per cent of which that being the extent to which the bill before Congress permits the city to increase i its indebtedness amounts to 860000 Without this relief it is obvious from I the foregoing figures that the available avail-able assets of the city are inadequate to meet the interest on bonds and the c indispensible running expenses of the t city for the current year and much L Hess to liquidate its other indebtectnebs and complete the unfinished improvements improve-ments Even with this relief it is evident evi-dent in order to meet the necessary and pressing requirements and restore the lost credit of the city strict care and economy in the administration of affairs must be observed The expenditures of each department should be kept well in hand In all instances the proper committees commit-tees should in advance of any expenditures expendi-tures by any department be charged I with the duty of ascertaining and reporting re-porting to the council the nature object ob-ject and extent of all anticipated expenditures ex-penditures and that until sanctioned by the council no obligation should be allowed to accrue except in case of I presssing necessity such as the repairmen repair-men t of dangerous breaks in bridges waterpipes etc Unless this course be pursued as my past experience as mayor has demonstrated It will be impossible im-possible to keep expenditures within proper and desirable limits THE BONDING BILL It is a matter of regret that the financial fi-nancial condition of the city is such as to require the increase of its bonded indebtedness To do so in case Congress passes a law allowing it to me seems unavoidable unavoid-able because the only other way in which present emergencies can be pos I sibly met is to increase the present rate of taxation If the present rate should be increased I in-creased to the limit of the law by doubling it the revenue would only be increased thereby 215485 a sum wholly i inadequate to give the desired relief INCREASE OF TAXES OPPOSED I To increase the rate in view of the present general financial stringency would bear hard Indeed upon the Inhabitants t f in-habitants of the city while the burden I of an increased bonded indebtedness I I will scarcely be felt because the waterworks water-works which the city own will furnish fur-nish revenue enough within twenty years to both pay the interest and principal prin-cipal of the bonded indebtedness including in-cluding such increase So that while as has been shown the present need of money by the city is great still its permanent financial basis is scarcely equalled by any city in the union The rate of the municipal tax at present is only five mills on the dollar My estimates of the necessary running run-ning expenses for the current year is below the costsof the same duties during dur-ing the two previous administrations Experience will no doubt develop to what extent reductions may be safely and properly made In our desire to abridge however efficient service should not be impaired or jeopardized SPECIAL TAXES Heretofore It has been customary to turn special taxes Into the general fund of the treasury and use it for general purposes This in my opinion should be corrected and the special tax should be held and expended for the specific purposes only for which it was levied and collected There is no warrant war-rant of law for its use in any other wayHEALTH DEPARTMENT While there has been improvement in the sanitary conditions of the city evidenced from the report of the health commissioner there is yet great room for advancement While there has been a great reduction in the cases of mortality arising from that fearful disease dis-ease diphtheria the cases however of scarlet and typhoid fever were much greater the last than the preceding year Until the completion of the gravity grav-ity sewer the sanitary condition of the city must remain unsatisfactory While that great work however remains re-mains unfinished much may be done I as has already been accomplished in other ways In this connection your attention is directed to what was said on that subject sub-ject in my last annual report also to the report of the health commissioner I recommend the passage of an ordinance or-dinance embracing the suggestions there made also requiring the adoption adop-tion of the dry earth closets in all localities l outside of the range of these the-se < wer system Also in cases of death from contageous diseases such as dip theria scarlet fever etc that the deceased de-ceased shall be wrapped in antiseptic cere cloth which will render the body perfectly innoxious both before and after burial The cost of doing this in each case will be slight and its observance will greatly lessen the chances of the spread of contageous diseases Many persons more especially among young children annually fall victims to neglect neg-lect in the observance of proper sanitary sani-tary regulations It is perhaps beyond the power of the city government to entirely prevent pre-vent this yet extraordinary exertions should be made and every available requirement adopted to accomplish so desirable an end I INSPECTION OF SEWERS There is no ordinance defining the powers and duties of this officer His duties are so important and varied that his powers and duties should be definitely fixed by ordinance PARDONS During the year 1893 I pardoned the following persons February 23Thomas Ryan sentenced sen-tenced February 15 penalty 20 days offense petit larceny February Joseph Dangerfield February 10 30 days petit larceny February William West February Febru-ary 10 30 days petit larceny February 25Pat Lucey February 25 75days wife beating March 31A Lee Ndv 21 1892 ISO days lewd and lacivious conduct April 13Robert Jackson April 13 2 days malicious mischief April 30E C Wells April 13 30 days vagrancy May 18V S Holdaway jr May 18 15 days petit larceny May 18Lec Berry May 18 15 days petit larceny May 1SJ Flohn May 16 10 days disturbing peace May 24David OBrien May 22 25 days disturbing peace June 29Robert Foster June 19 10 days disturbing peace June 27S T Peet June 22 10 days hitching to fire hydrant July 15 Fred Blake May 19 90 days assault and battery and disturbing dis-turbing peace August 1Annie Renkie July 13 35 days malicious mischief September 24Harry Bradshaw Sept 8 90 days rObbery October 3Frank Kelly October 2 5 days drunk October 6George Anderson July 20 165 days pocket picking November 6L C Orr October 21 75 days petit larceny December 5Henry Herring Nov 15 30 days petit larceny In no instance was a pardon granted without the recommendation of either the chief of police police justice or i prosecuting officers and in most cases j all of these parties joined in recommendations recom-mendations POLICE j The police force toy the assistance of the former chief and the present efficient effic-ient and able incumbent has been brought to a high standard of efficiency effic-iency I Upon their faithful performance of duty depends the safety and quietude of the citizen and it fe with much pleasure that I compliment that department de-partment for the manner in which that duty has been and is being discharged j The reports of the several departments depart-ments are so full < in detail as to relieve me of the necessity of doing more than directing your attention generally I gener-ally to them They contain many suggestions sug-gestions of moment which should engage en-gage attention I III conclusion permit me to express the hope that the administration upon which we have just entered may be harmonious and redound not only to our own credit but conduce in the highest degree to the interests quietude quiet-ude and prosperity of our beautiful and progressive city The people expect ex-pect this at our hands and we should not disappoint them Respectfully submitted sub-mitted R N BASKIN I Mayor |