Great Falls weekly tribune., 1896-07-31
FACTS ABOUT CITY FINANCES
trbe Change to a City Of the First
Class Will Not Burden the
City Treasury.
With Steadily Lessening Revenue
the City Debt Has Still Been
Reduced.


Considerable discussion and good
kegI Of criticism has recently been
kyokod by the fact that Great Falls has
kergntly become by virtue of its ccnBuB
And the resolution Of the council city
III the frat .claee. When the ndyisability
III tlo change was discussed in the Guun-
hi fer ueVcral weeks and plenty Of mo-
- gwen to the public, no pCraon ap-
! uud t. oppose the change Everyone
! ,ne atiahed that the city was c.hLIed
" raaeou of it's population to take tts
&,Iaco among the citiea of tbs iirat caea
ria tate. No sooner had the GhunHo
Sppn Effected, however. than protests and
ircii9ns were heard. mainly baBed on
klcreI incroasos in tho cost Of city gov
,uu.ant This kind Of talk wac largely
kuaaa.l Whon it daWncd on the saloon
len that under tho statutes the retail
ouar Ioanee3 would have to bn rutErd
\ the county treasurer to 5000 per
uuu a IEIHCNE reporter yesterday
bado some Investigations, which go to
bow that, Whilo the change ~ the CIaaB
1 the city viii! Involve e0rur nXtrR OK
epar., thegD will to considerable do
rec be compensated for by incroaeod
tvruup, leaving the result about d stand
In tho first place, there viii 80 30 in
taHo in the eHIar.cs Of city officials ii
rcsent. The law, while allowing An in
tcaac in salaries, only fixes maximum
Mary, leaving # to the discretion If the
ty council to fix the minimum. IhD
~ o'liGialH' eaiarics Wcre in nearly all
so5, hcluW the maximum HIIowcd in
ties Df the second class even, aud there
no present purpose of increasing thom.
b. only place where an increase III
VT is absolutely necessary IL in the
y treaaurcr'a office. Under the codes,
is now his duty to collect the city
yes. This will require al extra TX
6ndturc of a few hundred dollars fot
ra help, and Il small expense for
bOl{s. On the other hand, ii is claimed
Iat this sum will be fully covered by
increased amount realized from the
d levy. 1t is claimed that between
900 and $1,000 in delinquent tax pen
tics on city property has been col
ted up to date by the county and ro-
Sinrd for its own use instead of being
rned over to the city. The gain from
|is a0urcc, when the city treasurer col
BITS the city taxes, will, it is claimed,
(eet the extra cost.
nder this new order Of things the
" will have the power to raise larger
Fenue from city licenses. Already in
easeB have been made amounting to
U0 year, which could not have been
bne under the old classification. Indeed
Is probable that in the near future the
Ny will be compelled to use all it's pow
Pe in this direction to get enough rev.
bue to run the city. The policy of the
Bunty authorities of late years has
Pen to reduce city revenues by cur
3ilment of the valuations. A few fig
tes will show to what an extent this
Dicy has been carried. In 1893 tho as
kBed valuation Of the city was SO, ,SOO,-
y. This year it will be less than $4,000
N. Az the city has only authority to
~ 10 mills III taxes, it will bo seen that
ery reduction in valuation seriously
Fturbs its revenues Every year
pee 1893 the gross revenues received
tho city have been lees than the year
fore, Notwithstanding this loss in
kenues, so careful and economical has
,en the administration of city affairs
lat the net indebtedness Of the city has
Etually been reduced from Sl72, ,1OJ.JJ
d 1893 to 3lGG,Sl7G1 at the close OF the
4st fiscal year, making Il decrease Of
b,JSS 81. In addition to this the OK
faordinary expense Of paving street in
traections on Central avenue came in.
Fere it not for this the decrease in debt
lould have been about $1,000 more
be affairs of the city are now ON the
pst economical basis possible. With
exception of the city engineer, who
Cs slIo per month, there is not single
ary over $l,SOO year. In fact, the
|ef Of police Hlono gets that sum, and
fills both the Office of chief and city
FectiVe. The eight counclmen during
1T year ended April 30, 1896, drew
y Sl,8So from the city for their
vicee, sum considerably less than
three county commissioners drew in
eame period. The total expense of
~ government, including Interest, fire
ptection police, water hydrunts, cleo
e lights, sewers, roade, etc. for last
Pr, was only $4,000. Compared with
expense of county government the
Pnnletration Of city niaira must be
pceded to be very email indeed. just
ut the city will do if tho county com
pRlonera keep cutting down city yalu-
pms, is hard to say. Already the city's
ance9 ara in bad shape, and further
uc'Ione in expense arc almost impoe-
pe' 1t il probable that they will resort
al Increase in licenses as the only
ana at their disposal to mako both
bs meet.