Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-04-22
MIR. CROSBY TALKS BACK.
And Incidentally Presents a few Hard
Nuts for the Board of BRilins 20

And incidentally Presents n Few Hard
Nuts for the Board of Bailins 20
Crack.
TO the rioters If Mc rHldge Of BrdttIe-
boron the report of the board of baiiffs
of the village of Brattleboro, for the year
ending May LIST, 1892, which has just been
received, our board have seen fit to throw
the blame of being in debt on me, seeking
no doubt for cover for their eXtraordi-
nary expenditure. Why not place it
where it belongs-that is, with the honor
able board themselves, and own that the
occasion required greater expenditures
than they expected or represented year
ago? If the voters will refer to the report
of May LIST, 1891, it will be seen that all the
bailitfs estimated for fire department was
$500, including new hose. They spent
S595G.95. One year ago, even at their
own estimate, leaving out the sidewalk APP
preparation of thousand dollars (which
was not voted), the honorable board, by
their own estimate, wanted only S0649. 10
This estimate was considered very high,
and the voters thought % cents on dol
lar, which gave them $0l04.72, would be
enough for the current expenses of the
village, taking former years as a guide
But, allowing the full estimate of the
bailiffs one year ago, the debt for the cur
rent years expenses, ending May list,
1892, would have been only S545 instead of
$3.50. 49, which it now is, as there was
borrowed for fire alarm apparatus $500,
while only $36j6.24 was used and the
balance of SS43. rs has been used for cur
rent expenses, although il would appear
in the report as though the entire bonded
debt of $500, was for fire alarm apparatus
flr,a 4 -
building horse stalls at the engine house at
a cost of 1896. We were told nothing of
the plans for heating the engine house by
steam at cost of S63G. Nothing was
known about the needs of repairing the
old cement sewers at cost of S6SG. If
we have a board of bailiffs that cannot es-
innate the expenses within $3.50 for the
year, or have plans for expenses which are
not reported to the voters how can they
expect the voters to know Just what is Ie-
CURED? BY constant additions to our viii
lage expenses, we are now asked to pay
$500 for lighting the streets the coming
year, being nearly double the amount eX-
pended in 1888, and our last years fire de-
partment expenses were some $500 more
than four years ago.
If we are getting our moneys worth
surely have no fault to find but do not
let us as voters feel that we have a board
of bailffs that need to hide behind anyone
back If they happen to spend little more
than they expected, or if occasion demands
extraordinary expenditure for one year
Had the 30 cents on dollar been voted a
year ago, We should still have been in debt
Tor current expenses about thousand
dollars, so that the writer, in adj
vocating the tax of % cents last wear.
certainly cannot be held responsible for
there being a village debt for current ex-
penses. ! still believe that the yearly ex-
penses of this village should be kept with
in the p cents limit, unless new apparatus
or buildings are needed, for which extra
appropriations should be made For the
coming year. as we need IS cents Oh a dol
lar to clean up, / should most assuredly be
in favor of voting this amount, but | am
not in favor of continually increasing our
yearly current expenses for village pur-
poses unless we are to have a correspond
ing increase in the grand list of the vii
lage. EDWARD c. CROSBY.