The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-27
TO HOLD DOWN EXPENSES
raE COUNCIL TO TRY AND KEEP
WITHIN THE BUDGET.

The Amount Expended for the Year
So Far $5e7,1e7 oe, Including In
terest-What Member OF the FL
nance Committee Says About the
Matter.
The article on the city's finances in the
MORNING NEWS day before yesterday
created quite a stir among the members Of
council and no end Of talk. 1t set the
finance committee to work figuring, and
che committee arrived at the conclusion
that taking everything into consideration
regarding the revenues of the city, the ex~
nenses will be kept within the budget and a
balance will be carried over.
The last quarterly statement made it ap-
near that the budget footed up only $685.
6N0 when really, including the interest
account. etc., it was S755, 200. In making
nm the quarterly statement June 80 only
srob portions OF the budget as related to de-
partment expenses were published. The
accounts for which no money had been ex-
naDded up to that time were not given, and
hence the full amount provided for In the
budget did not appear.
TIo to date the total amount spent 10 all
dspartments has been s452, 1877 06, to whidh
mil
zoo making a total of $587, 1877 06. These
6gires include the unlocked for expense of
$4,000 for stamping out of smallpox and
the operating expense of the garbage
cremstory.
AN ALDERMAN's EXPLANATION.
"In the statement of amounts expended
by the various departments" said men,
Der of the finance committee, "the gross
amounts of bills passed was taken and no
allowance made for items not covered by
the annual appropriations, as for instance
the purchase of the thirty-one acres out Of
which will come the site for the new water
works and the amount expended by the
CITY for paving sidewalks, all of which
comes back from the property owners.
Again, the gross cost Of paving streets is
charged against the budget. whereas the
city only bears one-third of the total cost,
taking out these items specifically as fol-
lows:
Real estate bought. S17 800
Paying sidewalks ........................ ~ $50
Paving streets, etc. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. rs 600
"We have sos, $50 credits.
"In addition to this in the matter of
opening streets the Belt Line, under its
grant of Barnard street, has paid $15,500 Of
All this considered makes total deduction
from the budget expenditures of $74, $50,
leaving the actual amount expended under
the budget S5l3, 900, against a total appro-
priation Of $755, 200, leaving S242, 900 unex
pended.
"The regular expenses of the city for the
next three mouths will not exceed 100000.
To this add interest for last quarter, $45. 900,
making $l65, 900, leaving $4,000 extra
expenses to consume the total budget.
This amount" continued the alderman,
"a ho n a
ing of Bull street and expenditures in con-
nection with the new water works. 50 that
the entire amount appropriated will be
spent, the appropriation for house drainage
not used going to offset the excess of the
board of health and quar- antine.
BASED ON THE INCOME.
1.-THE budget IS of course, based on a safe
estimate of the probable income Of the city
for the year, and it is gratifying to note
that the income for the present year (exclu-
dve Of payments on ground rent lots has
so far exceeded the estimate OF last January
that, taking the present balance in
the treasury of 1882, 900, and adding
the estimated income for the next three
months of Sic, 900 there will be 1902, 900
subject to the drafts of the city during the
balance of this year, showing, in all proba-
bility, instead Of facing probable deficit,
there will be carried over at least a net cash
balance of $50. 900 to $50, 000"
Alderman Carson in speaking Of the
matter said he proposes to fight appropriat-
ing the city's money for entertaining visi-
tors. He considers it illegal. and therefore
improper, and will vote against it. If the
citizens want to entertain visitors here
after let them do it by subscription, said
Alderman Carson, and not by having the
expenses charged to the incidental account.