St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-27
The TAX BUDGET REDUCED.
JOINT COUNCIL COMMITTEE LOPS
CFF $4,000.
DISCUSSION OFF THE FIGURES.


Above the Comptroller's Re-
port-School Bonds Not to Be
Observation-Disclosures and Engi.
neering Departments Reduced
-Doran in His Kicking Boots.
The special Joint council committee to
which was referred the tax budget held
three hours session yesterday after
noon, and the result was that the fig
ures. as passed by the conference com
mittee, were reduced $4,000, making
the total amount to be raised by taxa
ton for the 1894 expenses Sl,9l0, 4SS.67,
| or $4,000 more than the amount fixed
by the comptroller in the budget pre-
| pared by him. The committee also sat
down on the proposed plan of the mayor
and President Willrich, of the board of
| education, and the conference commit
tee relative to the refunding or renew
| ing $50, 900 of school bonds which fall
due i'll February. 1894. The reduction
of $4,000 made by the committee is Sc
cured by taking $4,000 from the amount
allowed from the general fund for the
construction of the Como avenue bridge,
$1,000 from the engineering department
fund and 50. 900 and 81, ZOO from the fund
for the health and building inspectors
departments
The eight members of the COM
mittee were called to order at
2:30 o'clock, with Assemblym.n
Schuette in the chair. The first item
in the budget, S3O3, 500 for interest and
.
discussion. The second item, which
provided for $4,000 to be used in paying
school bonds maturing in February,
1894, caused considerable discussion.
The conference committee had by vote
of to decided to renew the bonds and
to take the money and apply it to the
school fund, from which to erect new
school buildings and additions. The
comptroller, when asked, said the $780,
600 10 be raised by two mill tax, to.
gether with what would come from the
state apportionment, delinquent taxes
and the amount on hand, would
give the board about $4,000 more
than needed for the usual
expenses. Mr.. Sandell questioned
whether the 100000 would be sufficient
to make the necessary additions and
erect new buildings. The comptroller
remarked that the amount would build
five buildings at s12, 900 each. President
Wlllrlch said he had been informed by
the comptroller that the money might
not come in early enough in the next
year to allow the work to be done. To
this statement the comptroller took eX-
ceptions, and wanted Mr.. Willrich to be
very careful in quoting conversations
held with him. Mr.. Sandell had let
ter read from the principal of the
Cleveland school which stated that there
were AS more pupils in the building
than there were accommodations for.
The comptroller said it
WOULD BE A GRAv E EXPERIMENT,
for the board of education or council to
refund bonds in order to build, when
there was chance to secure money
elsewhere. The refunding of the bonds,
he said. might endanger the sale of
certificates of Indebtedness, for the
question would be at once asked by
financiers, IF the cityihas commenced
to renew bonds, might there not be
move made to renew certificates when
due%o Aid. Cullen said the credit of the
city had been maintained simply by the
payment Of interest and bonded indebt-
edness when due. The amount of the
bonds to he paid was small and their
refunding might, as the comptroller
said, affect the sale of certificates of in
debtedness. Mr.. Lightner thought that
if the only way to secure additional
school buildings was TO refund the
bonds this step should certainly be
taken. The board had asked for SSS, 900.
and there was no question but some of
the buildings were needed. 1t was
finally decided to leave the second item
as originally reported by the comp
trolIer and use the money to pay the
bonds, and take chances on the balance
which the comptroller said would be
left from the school funds to erect the
additions and buildings. The estimates
for the payment of certificates of in
debtednesS. fire and police departments,
passed without any change. The ninth
and tenth items. providing for levy of
mills, which would raise S250,0OO for
the school fund, were also passed.
The eleventh item, which, in the comp
troller's budget, was fixed at Sl1, 900 for
the building inspectors department, had
been reduced to $4,000 by the confer.
ence committee, Building Inspector
Morris having stated that the depart
ment could be run for that amount
during the next year. Mr.. Doran
lob Hn
further reduced, and moved to reduce it
another thousand, making it $1,000
Aid. Franklin thought the sum men
toned too small, but Mr.. Doran said he
was in favor of cutting down all depart
ments, not in the interests of the de-
partments, but in the interests of the
city and the taxpayers. The motion to
make the total amount to be expended
in this department was fixed at 81, 1000.
There was some talk about reducing
the amount estimated for the lighting
fund, $685. 900, but the comptroller said
that all this sum would be needed, and
the item was approved.
The amount TO be set apart for the
health department, 1000. was by Mr..
| Doran claimed to be excessive. Mr..
Lightner said that in 1890 the depart
ment cost $4,000. The salaries of the
health commissioner and first assistant,
it was stated, were fixed by law at
| Sc, 5000, the balance of the $4,000 being
| divided into salaries for employees, ag-
| gregating $4,000, with $500 for Incl
dental expenses. Aid. Franklin thought
the council had the power to reduce
salaries of officials. even if fixed by the
charter, but this, Assistant City Attor-
ney Phillips said, was not correct; the
section alluded to having been passed
in 1874 and since repealed. Mr.. Doran
said number of the health inspectors
had been under surveillance last year,
and the reports of their wanderings and
actions would make spicy reading. The
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