The daily gazette., 1878-06-15
City Council.
ADJOURNED MRErING-THE TAX RATI
FOR 1878


WILMINGTON, June IA, 1873.
To ha City Council:
| Your Finance Committee beg leave To
report that the amount of tue apprJpria-
ions Tor city purposes, independent of
the appropriation for Public Schools is
| $500, ,040 90.
The estimated revenue is S138, 800, ,leav-
ing the amount to be raised by taxation
for city purposes to be SlS7 30 90.
Ihe amount of the city assessment is
22,Slo, ,264 90. Eighty-eight cents on the
| 500 OF the assessment will make SON. 500
This amount, after allowing for errors,
&c, will make the amount required for
city purposes.
The amount of the school assessment is
| 81, ,l2' W3 90. The amount appropriated
| Tor school purposes, and necessary to be
| raised by taxation, is S67 800 80 THIRTY
two cents on the 400 of the assessment
will make S74,O Jos which after allowing
for errors, &c, will make the amount re-
quired.
| Your committee therefore report in
favor OF making the tax rate for city pur-
| poses SS cents ON the 800, and the rate
Tor schools ~ cents on the 500.
q. II. WINDLE,
LEWIS PAINTER,
JOHN JONES,
lHdHce COInDlUUee.
On the motion to adopt the report Mr.
| Windle said it might be thought the
| Finance Committee was extravagant in
raising the tax rate, but it should be borne
in mind that the properly assessment
has been reduced about $4,000, 600 from
last year. The present finance commit
| tee, he sad, has done what no previous
| committee dared to do-that is, faced the
| music and raised the tax rate to u figure
sufficient to meet the expenses of the
year without leaving large floating de bit
to be funded at the next session of the
Legislature.
Mr.. Lynch thought the increase of the
| tax rate was enormous. While the as
sessment was reduced 1t wa, mostly on
large houses, and the poor people would
be the greatest sufferers by the Increased
| tax rate.
| Mr.. Paynter said he was not lacking in
sympathy for the poor, but he felt i'm
/ PEELED to look at this matter in business
| light. 1t was not advisable to have de
ficlency, and the city must raise money
enough to meet Its expenses. 1t would
be a close shave to do this even at the
increased rate, and the Council cannot
make the rate any lower and be honest
in the matter.
Mr.. Chandler was glad the Finance
Committee had taken this stand. The
people demand great deal of work from
| Council, aud it takes money to do thil
| work. If the people complain that thei
taxes are too high, let them make les
fuss about improvements. Mr.. Chand
Ter thought the increased tax would ad
init of great deal of work being done
which would benefit the poorer people
Mr.. Norton claimed that it would not
as the city work was always done by
| nj, fun HI fbnnnlt
pie could not stand this increase of taxes
The majority of people are poor, an,
Council should accede to the wishes o
the majority.
Mr.. Payhter thought the Finance Com
mittee had already been very considerat
to the poor men, and had allowed al
error list for 1877 of nearly $4,000. Th
increase of the tax rate would aft, ct tn
poor men very slightly, but it would at
feet the rich men; the richer the man th
more his taxes will be.
| Mr.. Norton-And the more he will bt
able to pay them.
Mr.. Windle thought if the rate was no
increased the error list would be still
larger next year. The houses Of the poo
men are small, and the increase ON theI
will be only one or two dollars each.
Mr.. Lynch objected to the inconsist
ency of the plan; while everybody els
Twas economizing Council was increas
ling its expenses. He claimed that tn
Board of Revision did not reduce the as
sesSment on poor mems properties.
Mr.. Windle asserted that the Boar,
| took row alter row of small houses an,
reduced them from $1,000 to $500.
Mr.. Paynter insisted that the increased
tax rate would barely raise enough
money to cover the city's expenses.
Mr.. Hazlstt said work could not b
done without money; the people ask TO
the work and it must be done. The pay
ment of a tax is the only way by whic
u man gains the right of citizenship, AN
the man who does not pay mis- tax is no
a good citizen, the only thing to dc
therefore, is to raise the money.
Mr.. Baker reviewing the case, sal
that per cent. of the increase was mar
datory upon Council, having been in
posed by the Legislature for the beneti
of the schools. Last year the sum u
$lS6, 600 was added to the funded debt q
the city, the Interest on which woul
have to be met. He reviewed the az
propriations, very few of which are fo
permanent improvements, and did no
, see where dollar could be Topped of
or where the city could be run any NOR
, economically.
The report of the committee was the
adopted with but two dissenting votes
Messrs. Lynch and Norton.
Mr.. Windle presented a commune;
ton, but as the clerk was about to rea
it he discovered that it possessed no sis
nature.
: Mr.. Windle moved that it be read, bu
several object ons Were made, Mr.. Nol
ton stating that no newspaper woul
publish an anonymous communication
, and he did not think Council should IT
3 celve one.
t Mr.. Windles' motion was lost.
he communication was from "a cltize
: of the Third Ward, who wanted the cit
to employ him to kill dogs, by new an
. painless process he had invented, AT tift
cents per head
ORDERS.
Orders were directed TO be drawn a
follows:
James 81 Webb, Sls01; c. +. Thoma
& Co., Sl5.32; Ferris Bros, $40; Geo. "
Vernon x SON, $3.50.
Adjourned.