The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-11-06


This statement shows that the appro-
priatIons for current expenses for every
year during the last four years nave -
ceeded the receipts. and that tnis pea
slstent disregard of business prlhciples
has resulted In the creation or large
Now so long as the practice OF making
appropriations In excess or receip,s cV Vh .
tinues there is only one way a 70 'ba pa, Is by
floating debt thus created anu '""' " ~
This plan has been adopted by the CITY
OF Richmond. and by TINS h means very
largely increased for purposes 10. w"ie"
the issue OF bonds was not intended.
BEYOND OUR MANS.
This practice OF living beyohu tne
limits OF our income and then ISSUING
bonds TO make up the deficiency, VIII
inevitably lead TO financial empaIasiSS
ment. or cause such increased taxatIoiI
as will result In great hardship OF 1oi
taxpayers, and cause great ue 3p'as
ton in our taxable real estate values;
This being so. It is the part OF WISDOM
IN make a substantial decrease IN YOU
expenditures for current eNpeh PEN ,rc emf
not 10 Increase your bonded DEBT eHCepiI
for purposes which meet with genera
public approval r,tro In the
hope that 1t Will be heeoeu; committee
In this connection, your contiL of
would like to consider the questtsoorm, a. -
ne sinking fund, but as their inIoIi''a,
ton on this subject Is not coliipptt of
this time IT will be made the suo'e
Your committee next considered Ia ia
subiect OF salaries and commlssiort.s min
nv the city, to the view Vi 49, Could be
IL any proper retreii''
iia'e nr,nted statement OF sald s a,ar1
sbnd by the Auditor, Is ie'"i
herewith. ,.a .ha difficulties
. lou, anv reduction of salaries az,
sa,ea tried whilst having always IN Vi 9s.
tbn interest of the city, to 90 iuii 80
tice TO the official. u,t.,oo has de-
TO this subject your coihi n,,,,,ooonsd be-
,,oted much time, having suI,,ts and
W. :, ali The chiefs of departments a.
aayamined them as TO the duties 81 oh, ne re-
offices and their compensauGbna. a satisfied
cult OF this examination nc" ,horo are
your naiar,es and commissions, mere
tnafter mentioned, which shouIu ia 10
Hmced vet the remedy to be appn.f' sc
kecn the city wlthin the limits Ito, U
incdne lies not so much In the IeuuO tIn
liicoIl JIM, &c az IN proper reform IN tne
OF s 'il'arnent of the seveal departments
of the city.
| CITY SALARIES.
This subject of the proper maia a M
| oe he city departments will be the sun
| iect of future repoi 70
| mttee. ,,o-,.aroas and commits
eions which your committee AT tnis ,o c,
recommend TO be reduced are as I I9fio"''
S arn 70 take effect February j, 1873: M,
| @ 9nt Engineer, zee. from $500 10 shVvD
| SSityyt Gas Works, =. from 1900 to SWo
SSTmpm'nwlth's Atty, from 100 10 S1Y
sec'y S'k'g End '.'' iron from zoo zoo TO 100
| Srg NJ a. Cn,n't's . from 800 to 600
| second Assistant for Almshouse' ron ron
| ss5l and provisions $3.50, to ....'''' 'g yoo
Park-keepers o. from fr $y1S ga Ieo to 10 900
| c"mmIssioner of Revenue from o-S u
| Collector of city Taxes. from rs to I-lV;
| II these reductions are adopted o. I nno
| saving to the city will be about. sIWJ
The duties of the officials whose salaries
| we recommend are so well known "
| most of you that we deem II unnecessary
| i'm this report to say anything In regard
| to them, further than, in our OPINION
| the reduced salaries are sufhcient corn
| pensation for the services rendered. ne
| allowance of $1,000 year TO the COM
| monwealth's Attorney and the comlnls-
| sions paid to the Commissioner of Rev
| enue and the Collector of CITY Taxes IL
| Is Thought should be more fully treated In
| this report.
THE COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY.
So far as your committee is informed
| the allowance of $1,000 per annum TO the
| commemorative Attorney was first made
| i'm 1879 and this large amount was named
| because The enactment of the law com
! monty known as the whipping post law
| had so reduced the fees of the office tina
| proper compensation was not received
| by It's incumbent.
This "whipping post law has long since
been abolished. and for years the fees Of
the commemorative Attorney has I'm
| creased to such an extent that at this
/ fpna 10
| him, including the $1,000 allowance, nov
amout to about $500 per annum. Thu
necessity therefore, for so large an al
lowance no longer exists.
| The Common Wealth's Attorney does
though perform some services for tn,
benefit of the city, which occupy but
very small part of his time, and for thes,
| services we think 800 per annum a lib
| eral allowance.
The Commissioner of Revenue is both
| a State and city official. The bulk OF
his work is In connection with the as
! sessment of real and personal property
and licenses for both State and city, and
his compensation is altogether i'm fees
| and commissions.
His deputies. some seven in number
are paid by him out of his fees anG
commissions. The law provides that in
cities and towns the assessment of rea
estate for municipal taxation shall be
the same as the assessment thereof foI
| State taxation.
The effect of this law is that one as.
sessment of real estate answers fol
| both State and city taxation, and that
the real property books, made out by the
commissioner, are practically the same
for both State and city.
THE COMMISSIONERS COMPENSATION.
The compensation paid the Commits
sioner by the city is iive-eighths OF one
per centum upon the amount of tag
levied upon the property assessed anC
returned upon his real and personal prop
erty books and upon licenses assessed
on merchants, etc.
His commissions paid by the
ci,y during 1893 were. .........S 6, l67. 4;
| His commissions paid by the
Stnte during 1898 were. ......... i06l IS
| His fees from State licenses,
etc, for 1898, estimated at...... 2,500.0
| lotdl .''''s''''..'.s.s''s '''s.'' 'sIS, '-J'u
Allow for seven deputies. etc,
paid by him........................ S, 0.0t
s4.529.0
BY reduction OF one-eighth Of /
| per cent, commissions. ...........S !, 233. 4.
Net amount TO be received by
In considering the compensation o.
this official. il must be borne in mine
that the amount Of tax levied is growing
larger and larger each year, and witt
| the Increase in the amount of tax levied
there should be decrease in the amount
of commissions.