The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-10-06
Ths Finanoea d Baltimore uounty,

MeSsrs. Joan L. 1ellOtt, n. w. SNeiel, Ore
gon X. Benson, I. b. Catch and VIM. Pole
special committee to examine and repor.. =pon
the financial aiihirs Of Baltimore county under
the administration Of the present board OF
County Commissioners The TowSontown
papers Of Saturday last contain the report in
full, from which we condense the following
The report declares that they have exam
med the records in the treasurer's and com.
missioners' Offices, and find that much lar.
ger amount Of public money has been expen.
ded by the reform commissioners than has
ever before been known in the county, and
that in this regard expenditures on minor &C.
counts, including printing accounts and at.
torney' fees, are excessive; that the levy for
the present year is far less than will pay cur
rent expenses; that the late democratic ad.
ministration Of the county affairs is more
economical than under the reform regime.
The committee regrets that the special an.
ditors were not required to bring the audit
down TO May /, 1877, instead of December,
1874. A report to such date would, they say,
have shown that the reform board has been
less careful and sparing in use Of collected
taxes than the democrats were When they
were in office.
The committee says it is forced to the con
and their advisers have not the requisite Blu.
siness qualifications to accurately figure out
the needed amount of money necessary TO pay
the current expenses of the county for the
year. The system Of keeping books and &C.
counts in the commissioners office was clum-
sy, defective and inefficient, and so remains
in that condition. Questions as to the meth.
cd of keeping the books in those Offices were
invariably answered by the remark, ave
have always kept them in that way When
the inquiry was made il the commissioners
could tell from any book in the office what
was the amount of the couuty's liabilities, the
committee was informed that it could not be
except by an examination of the journal Of
proceedings, and the cash, or day. book, in
the treasurers office. 1t was impossible, af.
ter full investigation, to ascertain The amounts
due creditors in cases where they have not
received orders on the treasurer ofthe county.
The basis oftaxation of 1877 exceeded that
of any previous year, the excess over the ba.
sis Of 1876 being SIC, 6S2, 627, the excess be-
ing owing to the new assessment, including
an increased assessment on suburban prop
critics, and the committee say; "rhis in.
crease Of the taxable basis made it unnec-
essary to levy so large rate to produce an
equal amount Of money for the county treas
ury. Thus AZ cents on the 500 would pro.
duce more money on the basis of 1877 than SO
cents would on the basis of 1874 or 1875.
Had the present board been obliged to levy
on the basis of 1875 to raise S273, 45S, 1.-THE
amount which they raised on the basis of
1871, they would have been required to levy
at the rate of 574 cents on the 800 instead
of AZ cents 1t is added that the reduction
of tux bills in the rural districts is accounted
for in the general reassessment OF rates for
suburban properties. The committee also
say:
San examination ofth journal of proceed.
ings in the commissioners Office reveals
very loose mode Of doing business through
agents. A larger number have been appoint.
ed by the present board than by any former
boards during their entire terms Of office.
They have been given the most unlimited
powers in frequent instances in reference to
the work to be done by them, and required
to present their bills for settlement without
any limitation as to the price or amounts to
be paid them. There have been u number of
agents appointed to perform no other duty
than to call upon delinquent taxpayers in
their respective districts and ask them to call
at the treasurer's office and settle their tax
bills. The books aud records of the treasur
er's office are neatly and conveniently kept,
and in both that office and the commissioners
Office the gentlemen in attendance afforded
US all the facilities in their power in making
our investigations.
The expenses of the county from Decem.
Der !, 1867, to December /, 1875, aggregated
l,Si0,990: average per annum $3.50, 749.
Under the present board the net expenses
for period Of u months were SG29, 6T2,
being an average per annum Of S347, 742,
and an average per month of $2S,97S. The
expenses Of the county increased from 1869
TO 1871 " per cent; from II to '73 l04.;
from 10 to 10 10 per cent, or an average
increase OF nine and one-third per cent. !;
while from 1875 to the present time the enor.
nous increase Of IS per cent. has been
reached.
The committee gives the levies from 1868
to 1870 inclusive, aggregating 81 1897, 554; an
average per annum OF $242, 1888. The levy of
the reformers for 1876 was S272,2ST; for
1877, S27l, 799-an aggregate for the two
years Of S544,0sG
The present board levied $500 for 1877 on
the insolVent account The report states
that't is impossible TO say what would have
been the proper amount, but if past expert.
ence in the commissioners office is any guide
for the present, the amount really required for
this purpose will reach fully $4,000. But
a small proportion of the taxes have been paid
as yet, but since the levy the board has made
several hundred attachments, FIVE of which
aggregate $G44, lib. At the rate OF Al cents
on the 500 (present rate) these five isolated
Attachments amount to SS,027,6l, or a little
more than double the amount levied for; when
the railroad companies and different institu.
tons which were assessed are required TO paw
their taxes the Attachments will be enormous,
or what is equivalent, the delays of litigation
will prevent a large portion of the taxes levied
from coming into the treasury for some time.
In the matter of the printing bills the re-
port shows that the cash paid by the present
board for printing and advertising from Jan.
uary l, 1876, to September 8, 1877, ageregat.
d SIC, 960.53. Nothing has been paid TO the
Union or to the Herald since June 10, and
there are outstandingbils due to both the Jour.
nal and the Woodberry News. These bills
to the papers are known to be large, but their
is nothing of record to show what they amount
to- The best attainable information lends the
committee TO believe they will exceed $4,000.
Under the Democratic administration the
printing bill from January /, 1872, to Sen.
TENDER 5, 1873, was $7,577.G3 and from
January /, 1874, to September 8, 1875, S..
627.s2, less than one-half of the reform
expenditures for the same months.
The report shows that whilst the amount
levied for counsel to the board was $500, the
following amounts have been paid on this
account: Cash paid L. p. ID. Newman, Nav
s, 81 $50; cash paid John T. Ensor, May &.
SS26.79; allowed John 7. Ensor on same
account, S423.21-total since levy, $4,000.
Messrs Ensor and Newman have received
nothing since May for professional services.
and there is no order Of record allowing them
any claim on this account. But the fact is
well known that each Of them now has large
claims against the county for settlement.
The amount paid by the present board for
counsel fees from December |, 1876, TO De.
cember !, 1875, Sl23l so; from December /,
1876, to September 8, 1877, $4,000. A refer.
euce to the special auditors report, lately
published, will show how much democratic
commissioners expended on this account.
1t rarely exceeded $500 per year.
The report claims that the levy by the
present board Of 81, 500 for 1877 on the in.
solvent and erroneous account is grossly
inadequate, aud is demonstrated by The fac,
that the board has already allowed more than
double the amount to FIVE taxpayers alone.
The amount levied by the present board
for the contingent road and bridge fund for
the year 1877 was S23, 273, whilst the amount
maid ont in raah on thia accnnnf fro,,, T,.. =