Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-08-26

The numbers OF City Council have
Just made the discovery that they are
at sea regarding the matter OF city
finances, and serious complication
may be the result. The members of
the last City Council on Thursday
night, May 9th, arranged schedule
of prospective receipts aud expenditures
and fixed the tax rate for the current
fiscal year at 81. 30 on the 500, think
ing that all obligations could be met
thereby, but recent Developments have
caused the members of the present
Council to fear that sufficient revenue
cannot be raised on the lines laid down
by their predecessors. Three bills were
passed at the session of the Legislature
last winter placing as many sections of
the city on a reduced tax-rate basis, a
matter which appears to have hem lost
sight of by the city fathers until within
the past day or 80. The Councilman do
not know just what is included 10 the
exempted territory. but applications
be made to Secretary of State James ii.
Hughes this week for certified copies
of the bills, and until that information
is obtained Il is not likely that any.
thing will be done in the direction Of
| devising ways and means whereby the
difficulty may be overcome.
AT tho meeting Of City Council on
Thursday night, May 9th, resolution
| offered by tine finance committee, fixing
the tax rats at 81. 40 on the 500 was
! adopted, after a full exhibit of the
prospective recsiptsN aud expenditures
| had been presented and explained. The
appropriations for tho fiscal year 1878,
as fixed by the committee and agreed to
| by Council, aggregated 1896, S72. 81.
The known revenue was sat down as
| S7S, 900. leaving S5l7, 972. 81 to be raised
by taxation. The valuation OF city
property subject to assessment for city
purposes is stated to be $780, 100, 237,
| and at rate Of 81 tax for city purposes
would yield 1891, 902. 81. The value of
property assessable for schoul purposes
was reported to be $40, 3l4. 959, which
at 40 cents on the 500 would give a
revenue of Sl5T, 257. 04. This would make
the total revenue from taxation for city
and school purposes amount to
S549. 1853. Al. 1t was decided to allow
$50. 600 for errors and relates which
would give net result of s5l9, 1853. Al.
These calculations, it is understood,
were made without the knowledge that
the rate OF taxation had been reduced
on certain properties by the Legisla.
ture, and with tho expectation of col.
Letting the full amount from the prop
critics now known to be referred to in
the bills which ware passed.
1t is known that there we're three
sections of the city favored in this man
ner by the Legislature, but the extern
of the territory included has not beer
learned, neither have the provisions o.
the bills bearing on the subject. A
great deal will depend upon this infor
nation, aud until il 10 obtained tn,
members OF Council must remain il
the dark. Neither is there any knuwl
edge of how much the expected revenue
will be reduced in event OF these bill
making it mandatory ON Council to re
apect their provisions with respect I,
this years collections. Some of thu
tax money has been paid, on the prop
erty in one of the sections Of the cit,
affected at least, but whether the other
have paid cannot be aacertained until j
is known where the reduced ratio prop
erty is located.
One of the exempted sections is il
the Ninth ward and another is in tn
Twelfth, but Council has not learned
much officially about either. AS II
the remaining section which was pu
on the exemption or reduced-rate lis
the members are IN The dark. The,
will go to work ut once. however, ant
make an effort to get some denfnite in
formation concerning the effect of legis
latiun on city assessment as soon a
possible, as they are actually alarmed
over what the result might he.
In speaking of tina matter Saturda.
member of City Council said tn
complication has brought him TO tn
belief that it would probably pay tn
CRY TO have representative OF thu
municipal government, somebody work
ing under the direction of, the cit
solicitor, attend the future SESSIONS q
the Legislature and look after all mat
ters affecting the Gity's interests.