Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-04-02
CITY FINANCES.
1T LOOKS As THOUGH THE FINANCE COMMIT
TIE Has A PROBLEM.
Receipts Likely 10 Fall OF, While Thsrs Are
Extraordinary Expenditures to 30
Net This Year.

1t is likely that the Council Commit
tee on Finance will be called TO meet
within the next ten days to commence
work upon the annual Appropriation
ordinance.
Members OF the Committee are al
ready cogitating over the question oil
how TO make both ends meet In city
finances, this year, and so far they have
not solved the problem.
Two uncomfortable and undesirable
certainties are staring the Committee
in the face. One is the fact that Items,
agRregating a large amount, carried
over from last year, must be paid out
of this years revenues, and an
other is the fact that the re-
ceipts OF the city treasury are going TO
fall off. Last year the receipts from all
sources aggregated S425, 612.51. being
S2S7. 60 in excess of the estimates, but
In 1892 they fell of SCI, 900 from the
estimates. This year there is certain TO
be- a decrease in the revenue from
licenses, which last year amounted TO
S45,649.5s. II is almost certain that
there will be twenty fewer saloons after
May lst than now, which will cut on
something like $4,000 Other licenses
will certainly fall away, as well as the
the revenues from fines and fees Ia
Police Court. These items may aggre-
gate as large a reduction as $4,000.
City tax collections will also undoubted-
~ show falling off, and miscellaneous
receipts the same, while II any items
show an Increase, they will probably be
the receipts of the Water and Gas
Boards, all the revenues Of which will
be used by those departments.
On the other hand, the city must pro-
vide $40, 600 on account OF stone bridge,
to meet the settlement; Of the litigation
now going on. This sum was appropri-
ated last year, but was given TO the Gas
Board, and the debt carried over to
1894. In like manner the $4,000 Of
electric light bonds, which should have
been paid in 1898 was thrown over the
fence to this year, when $500 Of prin-
cipal, andS4, 600 OF interest, or 5000
in all must be paid on this account
alone. Some fire department items
we're also laid over from Is 10 1894,
and the health department must have
more money this wear than last TO meet
the increased pay Of the garbage con-
tractor. Then, on top OF all OF this,
the city has been run so far this year on
the basis of the sums expended by the
various departments, In 1898, as is usual.
1t will he at once seen that with de-
crease in the receipts and large extraor-
nary payments, carried over from last
wear. TO be made, money'is going 10 be a
scarce article about the City Hall this
wear, and il is about as certain as any
thing can be that there will be nothing
for public improvements Of any sort,
save such as can be made out OF the
contingent fund OF the b. 2. w. and the
ten cent levy.
The talk, heard to some extent last
wear. of cutting down the contingent
fund of the j. p. w. by taking from it
either the revenue from markets, or
fines and fees IN Police Court, and turn
ing that income into the general city
treasury, is again up for discussion in
formally by members of Council, who
cannot see, with all the information they
have at present, how the ledger can
be made TO balance.
1t is pity the bluff at economizing,
made by the Finance Committee last
autumn, when the Gas Board indebted
ness was squared. was not carried out
in soma manner.