Great Falls weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1894-1???, 1895-08-23
SPECIAL SCHOOL TAX BEATEN
by q Vote of IS to l3 the TnXpayers
Refuse to Authorize b. Three
Mill Tax.
the School Board VIII Be Unable to
Run the Schools With Other
Moneys Available.

The special election, called by the
trustees of school district No. /, to au-
thorize the levy of a tax not to exceed
three mills for the support of the schools,
resulted in a surprise. The levy wasdc-
fcated by the decisive vote Of 70 against
to 43 for the tax.
The ballot read as follows:
''Shall a tax not to exceed three C}y
mills on each dollar be raised to main
tain the schools of School District Mum
Der One, Cascade county, Montana, for
the school year commencing September
9th, A. ID. 1898, and ending May 3lst,
1886, the amount of said tax not to ex-
coed the sum Of twenty-five thousand
(S22, 100000 dollars?"
The polls were opened at s Il. IN. and
closed at 6 p. m. Trustees Holmes.
Gockstctter and Poole acted AS Judges,
and A. E. Caufield as clerk.
Very little interest was taken in the
election apparently, only 80 votes being
recorded up to | p. M. Toward the
close Of the polls in the afternoon d good
many voters, mainly business men.
dropped in and as they generally voted
''No,'' it began to look dubious for the
levy. When the polls closed III votes
were recorded.
Speaking OF the result, Chairman
Holmes said that it appeared as though
the people did not want a full term of
school, and for mis- part he favored not
commencing the schools till January J..
when the new superintendent under the
genera, levy becomes available, when
they could be opened and run as long az
the money lasted,
The action If The people who voted
yesterday was partly duo to a misappro
heGeiOn Of the incts IN the case, many
thinking that the school oaIu were
asking for three mills more rtvenue than
they had last year. The facts ia the
case are as follows: Last yeac the school
board had $4,000 10 spend for all pur
poses except building and furnlahlng new
echool houses. This year they estimated
that they would require so, 1000 for these
purposes. To meez this expense they
will have from the general school fund
Of the county, if it is apportioned DIS
usual, about $4,000. They will also
have a special levy for sinking fund and
interest Of IA mills, producing $lO,500,
In addition to these two items, making
II total of 3l,500, they will have euch
sums as go into the school fund from
fines, and their share of the state fund,
available for the first time this year
The latter item mi from interest or
principal received from sale of schoo
lands and leases of the same. 1t amounts
in all to over $4,000 and Cascade
county's share ought to be about $1,000
which would give District No. / abou'
$500. Calling the fines $1,000 this
would bring the total revenues Of al
kinds available for the schools of this
district up to $4,000, Or $4,000 Less
than the amount required.
One of the Voters opposed to the lev.
stated to The TRIBUNE that he voted
mo" because the sum asked for wal
more than the requirements Of the school
made necessary, and he did not believe i
was just to the taxpayers, OF in the in
terests OF economical administration t.
place in the reach Of the school board
larger sum than was absolutely necee
sary. II the board had asked for Sl5,OOC
instead Of $4,000 additional, he though
there would have been no opposition Of
the part of the taxpayers.
There is still a method by which tn
school board car get enough money t
RIM the schools, although it is held t
be clearly wrong and illegal. The onl
thing that can be said in it's behalf
that it is not a new practice in this an
other districts. That is, to borrow fror
the sinking fund. There should be i
the sinking fund now some $4,000.
is said that recently 5000 of this wa
transferred or ''borrowed'' for genera
expenses by order of the board. Thi
process might perhaps be repeated ur
les some one interposed with an ir
JUNCTION. a