The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-09-28

The County " Goes Broke"
1Thers are just $4,000 In the treasury OF
"a Salle county. II will require $50, 600 to
pay current expenses until the fifteenth OF
Jsnuaryl
"How much money have you in the treas
ury, counting oil outstanding orders OF the
last board as paid ?" asked the FREE TRADER
reporter, of Treasurer Adams.
You will see by my last report that
there remained $l3,47S in the treasury on
Sent. lst Out of this l have paid most OF
the September orders, and counting those
still outstanding as paid l would have sur
plus Of about 81 ,OOO.'
How much will it require to run the
county until the taxes Of 'S9 begin to come
in?"
"About thirty thousand dollars
"This sum, with the amount already ex-
pended, Sill, 1926, will make the total amt
shout Sal, 226. which is your estimate of
the expenses for the fifteen months begin
ming Sept. LIST, 1888, and ending Jan. LIST,
1902"
eyes"
"How will the county treasurer procure
the required amount cfcash!"
al don't know! He has no warrant OF
law for borrowing, nor has anyone else
holding any position under the county.
INF
"The taxes Of 'S8 should run the county
until January, should they not''
eyes, but they WON'T"
"How much was received by the levy Of
1897"
.'That levy was thirty cents upon the
hundred dollars, or 1925 This added to
the balance of SAL 900 remaining at Sept. 'ss
some $4,000 to $1,000 received from
judgments against the bondsmsn Of the e1,
county officers, over $4,000 turned in by the
officers and the earnings ana the receipts Of
the office, made the $llS,OOO.'
"And still short $SO,OoO?' added the re-
porter.
Exactly"
THE LEvIEs.
Granting that the expense Of the county
for the last months Of '88 equalled the esti
mated expense Of the present months, this
substrsc.ed from Sal ,226, the expense fol
fifteen months, leaves $l1l,2 as county
expenses from January 1889 to January
1890. The tax levy Of 1888 was thirty cent?
upon the one hundred dollars assessed valu-
alton, bringing but $52,s25. The levy fol
1889 will yield about $1,000 In 1891
there will be deficit Of $4,000 from 1885,
which must be made up, and this added t
the $lll,226, will make the expense o
1890 just Sal 1926 to be paid out Of the lev!
of 1889: that is $l05,OO0. Recognizing tn
mistake they had made in levying bu
thirty cents in 1888, the finance COMMITTEES
Of the board doubled the amount for 1888!
ct the September session, which will max
the levy for 1889 for expense of 1890 sbou
$lO5,OOO But this is still insufficient, q
with An expense Of $l4l,226 it will leave
deficit Of at least $S6,226, which must b
made up out Of the levy Of 1890, which mus
be at least seventy five cents on the hundre,
dollars. The county will therefore be il
debt until Jan. 1891.
The levies for the past years, until 'S8
had been about $4,000 per year, or seven
ty-fve cents upon the one hundred dollar
assessed valuation. This is the first yea
since the building of the court house ths
the county has been without funds and with
out means of procuring funds. unless SOM
charitable institution will advance the casl
and depend upon the generosity of the boart
for payment for the use of it.