Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-02-19
THE STATE MILL TAX.

The school districts throughout
Wisconsin will this year receive state
school money from four to five months
earlier than heretofore. The reason
therefor is thus explained by writer
in The Milwaukee Journal:
Previous to the last session of the
one apportiOnment of the income of
the school fund, which was made
under the conditions prescribed by
section 554 II. 5. The state superin-
tendent was required to make the
apportionment between the 10th and
18th days of June. The money in
Guided in this annual apportionment
was derived from the fund created by
section 2, article 10, of the constitution,
the major portion of which is in the
form of certificates of Indebtedness, to
pay the interest Of which there is a
direct tax levied to the amount of
$4,000 annually, and the one-mill
state tax provided for by chapter 287,
laws of 1885. The last legislature so
amended chapter 287, laws of 1885, as
to change the time when it is to be APP
portioned, making two appointments
of the state school money annually,
one in June and one in November.
The latter consists of the one-mil
state tax only. This explains why the
state money received by school district
officers at the present time, is less than
the state school money received last
year. The apportiOnment of last year
included all the income from every
source, the present apportionment
embraces the mill tax only. For pur-
poses of comparison, the apportion-
ment to be made next June should be
added to the present appOrtionment OF
the mill tax and their sum compared
with the state money of last year"
Under the new method of apportion-
ment the money can be almost inn
mediately used for the purpose for
which collected. The Journal further
says:
1.-The wisdom of the change is
apparent. The mill tax is now in the
hands of the school officers and may be
used for the legitimate purpose of
maintaining school, Under the old
rule it was paid over to the state
treasurer to be deposited by him in
banks throughout the state, where it
would remain for four or five months.
earning a handsome sum in the form
of interest, which he miStook for his
own and appropriated it accordingly.
1t was then transferred through the
county and town treaSurers to district
treaSurerS whom it reached during the
long summer vacations when there
was no immediate need for it. A
period of several months was often
necessary before any use would be
made of it. 1t is now received when
all the schools are in session and may
be a great accommodation to many
districts whose appropriations are near
ly exhausted
1t is required by section 554 r. s.,
that every town, village, and city shall
raise by tax sum equal to the amount
Of its share from the state school fund
income. The change of the law pro-
viding for two appointments of state
school money annually, was not taken
into consideration by a number of
county boards, when Ievying county
tax for school purposes, at their last
annual session. The board of super
vlsors of Iowa county failed to appor-
ton sufficient amount of school tax,
and each town, village and city will
have to make up the deficit by trans
ferring from its general fund TO its
school fund the amount required. To
avoid future blunders of this kind it is
urged that the law be further changed
so as to apportion the whole state
money at one time, and to so revise
the several sections of the law as to
preclude the possibility of misleading
boards Of supervisors and other officers,
the performance of whose duties is in
measure condition upon which the
claims of towns, villages and cities to
state money depend for their validity.
Under present laws confusion has
resulted in subjecting those officers to
considerable Inconvenience. Their
failure in some cases to levy county
tax for school purposes in compliance
with the statutes has been the principle
difficulty.