Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-03-28
ORANGE COUNTY.
what II Will Cost TO Run the Me-"
Governments.

what II Will Cost 10 Run the NOW
Government.
During the session of the Legislature,
which has lust come to an end, the Dill
passed to establish new county TO
be called Orange, and carved out oi the
southeast part of Los Angeles county,
classified this new county as OF the Ill
teenth class. This supposed the new
county to have population of at least
12.sOi, but not 13, 900 people. There are
in all forty eight classes Of counties in the
County Government Act.
On the fourth day of next June
an election is to be held in
the new county for the purpose
of deciding whether or not it is the will
of the people to set up this new county.
It will require two-thirds vote of all the
electors in Orange county to set up this
county. The votes of the citizens therein
will turn largely on the question of taxa
tion. 1t is feared by many that the new
county will cost Taxpayers much more
than their present quota to support the
county of Los Angeles. The debts snd
assets of the old county are to be assessed
by commissioners to determine what is
the equity of the old and new counties
in the came. The funded debt OF Los
Angeles is about 100000. In their
present condition and as the market for
realty is, no conservative estimate will
put the property of the county at
higher figure than it's debts. The new
county will take nothing from us to help
her in setting up housekeeping. She is
more likely to be brought In in our debt
to a small extent.
A number of people are writing to
the HERALD to ask what it will cost to
run the new county, with view OF learn
ing what their taxes will be. The as
sessed value OF the territory embraced in
Orange county, according to the valua-
tion OF last year, is about $S,000,O 900.
The State quota on that was nealy $780,
900. By the terms of the county govern
ment act, the salaries of the officers
of a county of the fifteenth class
are fixed as follows:
Clerk $500, Sheriff $500, Recorder
$500, Auditor 5000, Treasurer, 81 800,
Tax Collector, 5000, Assessor 1880,
District Attorney 81 800, Superintendent
of Schools $500, Supervisors $500 each,
or $500 for the five. The total above is
$4,000. There will be at least twenty
townships in the new county, each with
Justice of the Peace and two Consta-
bles. Here are sixty officials who, if they
let the county off for 81 900 each, they
will do we'll. That is 100000, or nearly
as much as the State tax and the salaries
of all the other officers of the county.
We now have an expense of $l27, 900.
There are the INDECENT still to provide
for, an expense not easily estimated, but
it is pretty certain that the new county
will pay out more on this account than
its pro rata of the old county disburse-
ments. There is coroner and his fees,
q surveyor and his fees, deputies of
various sorts and their fees. 1t
is not at all probable that
$150,OOO would foot the bills to this
point. Right here there is about So tax
on the 500 of valuation, at the figures of
last year. Roads and schools are still
to provide for. The former cost twenty
cents on the 800 of valuation last year,
and the latter cost twelve cents ON the
500, while for the County Hospital there
was levied six cents on the 800. The
total thus figured out would come to
nearly $2.40 on the 500 for the new
county, on last years valuation.
There is now the cost of setting the
new county up. There is county poor
house, a courthouse, jail and other
public offices to provide. ALI the ar
chives of the old county, so far as they
refer to the new one, will have to be
copied and bound in proper form. The
only way to do this is by the issuing of
bonds. Is there any expert who
will say this can be done for
less than $25O,0O0? These bonds can
not be foated at less than six
per cent. interest. Here is sum of a t
least $15, 900 year to pay. This will
add 20 cents on the 500 for interest
account. And now the rate is raised to
$3.50 on the 500. No account has
been made above for the Superior Judge,
who is to get $4,000 a year salary, of
which the State pays half and the county
the other half. 1t is we'll known that no
estimate is possible which will cover all
the expenses of matter of this sort.
If anyone thinks the county can be run
and kept from going deeper in debt each
year on levy of SO tax on the $100 of
valuation, putting the property on the
county at $S.000,000, which is re-
ported to be as nearly as pos
sible the valuation of last
year, this is an income from
direct taxation for State, county and
road purposes equal to $240, 900, he will
not be able to balance his sheets on the
right side at the end of the year. 1t is
the impression in some parts of the new
county that the rate will be nearer four
AL