The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-07-27
THE JERSEY CITY NEW.

"a reformed TAX levy.
THE JERSEY CITY NEWS.
THE Board of Finance is now n
gagged in the performance of its most
important function. Perhaps. the
work may be complete before this
reaches the public. Under the Char
ter, the board must annually, in the
month of July, receive the estimates
of expenditures required by each city
board, give a hearing to the various
departments, settle upon their abso-
lutte requirements, cut off all extraya-
gances and finally fix the amount to
be spent by each during the next
fiscal year. These amounts, with the
interest on the city debt. the bonds
falling due within the year, the State
school taxes and the pro rata of the
county expenses, form the grand total
of taxation for the year, upon which
the tax rate is based. OF late years it
has always been the paramount de-
sire of the Board of Finance to keep
that rate below three per cent, as
when that rate is exceeded, the pro-
visions of the Martin Act become in
operative.
The task imposed upon the board
this year is not a light one. In the
first place the county authorities have
been compelled to increase their levy
49, A1n0 nOA A 1,v.a ,1or+ ~ fh iv
increase has been caused by
the building of the Boulevard.
In our judgment, this increase
will be more than compensated
for in the future, by the increase of
land values in it's vicinity, but it will
take several years before this incre-
ment can be ascertained and assessed.
In the meantime the burden must be
borne by the community in general,
and is jersey City pays over go per
cent. of the county levy. its share of
the burden will be about $50, 600.
In the second place, the city re-
ceived from the State for school pur-
poses this year the sum of $293, 600;
next year this amount will be reduced
to $255, 900, or about $3s, 600 in the
aggregate. This deficiency will have
to be supplied by taxation, aud so we
have in two items a total increase Of
sos, 600 upon the taxpayers purses.
With the addition of this amount to
the levy and no reduction in the other
appropriations, the tax rate would be
500. so for next year as against the
present rate of $2S.40. We believe
upon the examination of the demands
of the various boards that this
amount can be saved. The Street and
Water Board has demanded 1915, 800.
or $131, 900 in excess of this years APP
preparation; this excess should not be
allowed: in fact something should be
saved. Very little change, if any, can
be made in the estimates of the Board
of Aldermen, Tax Commissioners,
Commissioners of Appeal or Sinking
Fund Commissioners: they are all
down to hard pan. The estimate pre-
sented by President John P. Feeney
on the part of the Police department
is a model of clearness and economy.
Recognizing the spirit of the times,
he has cut down his estimate this
year nearly $40, 600, and still he pro-
yides for a small Increase in the force.
There are one or two items, aggregat-
ing possibly $5, 600, which could be
dispensed with. but taking it as a
whole the demand is in striking CON
trast to the ~extrayagant proposals of
the Street and Water Board. The
Fire Commissioners have requested
an additional appropriation of some
$45, 600 in order to do away with the
buffalo" system and increase the
complement of men to each company.
THIS is a very desirable change, but
it is a question if it cannot wait for
another year, when we hope times
will be better. The fact is the city
cannot afford it this year.
From this brief resume, it is evil
dent that the main reductions must
be made in the appropriations to
the Street and Water Board and the
Board of Finance. Our inanciers
should remember that economy be-
gins at home. Thanks to the success
full refunding operations brought
about by the old board, under the d.
rection of Messrs. Edelstein and Allen,
there will be a saving in the Interest
and bond account OF over 500, 000-
rlie demands Of the Free Public Ii