Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-03-06
Collection of our Taxes.

Editors Times
notice that the Mayor, in his message. pub
lishei in your issue Of the 9th inst. saws that
- no reason was assigned for giving me the ad-
ditional four per cent mentioned in the resolu-
ton Of the 5ri inst. The reason that intiu-
encet the Board TO vote me this additional four
per cent was their almost unanimous conviction
that it was my due. When the books were pre-
Sentel to me last June by the City Clerk, tod
him [ should not take them until the percentage
Was fixed. then talked with TWO Of the Alder
men, ami they told me 10 20 and take my books
they had no doubt | would have the ) per cent.
AS usual, rs they had always paid that, and
they could not wait for meeting Of the Board
for It was time the books were IN the Collector
hands. then took the books in good faith that
| should get the > per cent all former Collectors
had received
The Mayor SAYS during the last sixteen days
0f June. there was Sl9 $50 which the Collector
received without any solicitation on his part II
Is true did receive about that amount in the
time ment oned, bnt do not acknowledge that
It materially lightened the burden Of the Colec-
tor, for this sum paid by the class of tax
payers who would always pay the first time ask
Ing. And those are the very taxes that Collect
ors always rely upon TO help them out Of the
difficult cases. Our Mayor does not take into
the account the odds and ends Of taxes that the
time of the Collector is 50 much taken up in
securing, by repeated application 10 poor people
who insist on having time to pay up.
should find no fault if the four per cent. had
been fixed before | accepted the appointment Of
Collector. but rs it is | feel that am right in
asking the additional four per cent, for | should
not have accepted the office on any other condi-
tons. | would ike to have the Mayor explain
how get the twenty-five hundred dollars per
collaeffurr In he firsrr MIA
man can collect the taxes in the City Of Burling-
ton in six months as claimed by the Mayor, for as
| said before there is always a considerable
amount Of taxes that cannot be collected without
great amount Of trouble and perplexity. There
is no sensible man that would take the taxes left
after the nineteen thousand dollars is taken out
and collect them for y per cent.
y. B. Flanagan,
City Collector.
We do not see that this communication
from the collector materially changes the as
pect Of the case. An informal assurncc
from couple Of Aldermen, was of course no
agreement by which the city was bound. We
have no doubt that the Mayor looked the case
all over and considered the E. odds and ends -
for which collector is needed, as well as the
two thirds or more of the tax that is always
promptly paid, and might about as well be paid
directlyto the city treasurer, as to 60 through
the collectors hands. Our citizens seem very
generally to agree with the mayor that the
tax can be, and should be, substantially col
lected in SIX months, especially with the
liberal abatements understood to have been
made by the Aldermen; and that 100, or
l, 200 for the work, or pay at the rate Of
$4,000 a year, is pretty fair pay, as salaries
20 in this city.