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Show Reduce The 1932 Budgets Right now, while you are reading read-ing this article, your county commissioners com-missioners and the officials oi your city or town are in the process pro-cess of deciding how much is to be spent in your taxing unit for lii32. If you, as taxpayers, have any request to make of your public officials it would be this: Reduce the budget. Spend less. You would say this because you know that your ability to beat the tax burd'.-n has depreciated within the last two years. You knew too, that there isn't the assessable as-sessable wealth in your city and county that there was two years ago. In the state there is $120,-000,000 $120,-000,000 less property to tax than there was a year ago. So that if the same tax burden is imposed upon you next ' year, it will mean that the property that is still on the assessment rolls will have to bear one-sixth more than it dui two years ago But your county commissioners and city commissioners may say in reply to your request: "How can we cut the budget? How can we spend less? " It is this question that is now in the minds cf the public officials that gives the organize-1 taxpayers an opportunity to function func-tion effectively. No one can an. swer that question without first getting facts. It is necessary for the taxpayers to go into the present pres-ent year's budget and find out how much money is being spent; to see how much was paid out for roads; how big the payroll was for road supervisors, and how much was spent for equipment ChecX up to find whether the money spen' on roads was spent advantageously. Then consult the payroll. See what wages were paid and what kind of work each employee performed. per-formed. With this as a basis, map out a tentative road program for 1932, based on two things: (1) Necessity and (2) Ability, with the stress upon 'ability.' This will necessarily decrease the amount which you will agree should be appropriated for the next year. This will mean a smaller payroll. It may also call for wage adjustments from the road supervisor down. . Then check up on equipment and see if what is already on hand is sufficient for another year's use. Find out if the equipment equip-ment is being well cared for and is protected against exposure, abuse and theft If the taxpayers, in this manner, man-ner, will get the whole picture of the road construction work in the county, they will then be able to make a definite recommendation to the county commission on how much should be budgeted for the coming year. The same kind of investigation Should then be made of all othei activities and oil expenditures are thoroughly investigated, weighed and determined. Nothing should be taken for granted. The old. easy, loose method of matching last year's expenditures without any consideration of details should be frowned upon and resisted re-sisted by the taxpayers. A popular method employed l" many public officials in order td appease the taxpayers and makt it appear that a spirit of economy is being exercised, is to say that 'last year- we spent $100,000 for a certain purpose; now we are going ' to reduce it to $90,000.' But an investigation may show that the whole program is padded and inflfited; that there are activities and undertakings within the department, de-partment, as unnecessary as they are extravagant. Probably a thorough study of the department depart-ment needs would show conclusively conclu-sively that $40,000 or $50,000 would be all that should be spent. On one occasion the organized taxpayers of Salt Lake City, an.".-ed an.".-ed with facts and figures went before the city commission. At that time the city commissioners were unaccustomed to have the taxpayers make formal demands for retrenchment, and they ?orr, of resented this unusual approach hinting that they (the city commissioners) com-missioners) were quite able to take care of the affairs of gov-erenment. gov-erenment. But it just happened that the group of taxpayers were not so easily bowed out of court. Before appearing before the city commissioners they had analyzed the whole city program and were able to justify every proposal for reduction. The net result was a slash of $726,000. This same process can be repeated re-peated in every city and countv hi this state if only the taxpayers will maintain their oreanized effort, ef-fort, will get the facts," will inform in-form themselves on the details of public affairs and then, in a determined, de-termined, intelligent way, give the public officials the benefit of this study and investigation. It is as absurd as it is unsound for any individual or group to appear before public officials and make demands for horizontal cuts and say: "We demand a reduction reduc-tion of 25 per cent or 50 per cent from last year's budget." What public officials want to know is how and where to make the cuts. That information Snust come from the taxpayers. In 1930, the ad valorem taxes charged for the upkeep of all counties amounted to $4,'37,969: and for cities and towns, $3 990,-000. 990,-000. This did not include fees, licenses and special taxes. If private institutions, by sharpening shar-pening their wits, by analyzing all their activities, can reduce their expenditures from 25 per cent to 3310 per cent, there is no reason why the business of oui city and county governments cannot can-not be reduced to the same extent. ex-tent. But, at stated, the taxpayers must do just as the head of a jusincss is required to doget the facts, study them, find out then make them. The most profilic source of savings is in the payrolls. Fewei employees everywhere can do all the' work that is required. Ii the pavrolls in the cities and coua cies eliminated the political ham'.-ois-on and relatives that, in itself, it-self, would almost be sulncieiu reduction to satisfy the taxpayers taxpay-ers for 1932. The Research Department cf the Utah Taxpayers Association itauds ready, upon request, to furnish lacts o.nd figures to any group cf organized taxpayers in tets oi" I he local unit, city 01 the siate en tne costs and bud-ccunty. bud-ccunty. This is tne point of bCKi-m-S. So it is now up to the local taxpayers to act in their own interest, in-terest, or forever held their peace. |