The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-23

of the public schools in any one year
shall not exceed two and one-half mills
on the dollar Of the property assessed
for all school purposes, exclusive Of
state tax, nor be less than two mills
on the dollar" Under this provision
the full amount had been levied in Oct,
1896, by the council. AS to why the
tax estimate budget, passed by the
council in January, 1896, had not in
cluded the full amount instead of only
$4,000, the assistant city attorney
said he was not prepared to say, and
referred the reporter to the comptroller
for an explanation.
A gentleman, who did not care to
have his name mentioned, said there
were two explanations to the manner
in which the school fund had been
comptroller, in his desire to make
political capital for the campaign in
the spring of that year, had taken this
means Of reducing the budget in order
that the public might be unanimous,
SO to speak, for his reelection.
Another explanation was that the
comptroller in making his statement
relative to the amount necessary to
maintain the schools for the year, had
made a mistake, and in order to cover
up his error, had taken advantage OF
the charter provision and levied for
the full amount of the sum allowed by
law.
All proceedings of the conference
committee, common council and the
city comptroller, in connection with the
placing of $150,000 for the support OF
the schools in the tax estimate budget
for 1895, appears to have been based
on the theory that this was the amount
which would be needed to be raised
by taxation for the support of the
schools for that year. In this connec-
ton attention is called to the ordi-
nance passed by the council on Jan. 18,
1896, authorizing the issuance and sale
OF certificates of indebtedness in an
tiicpation of the taxes to be collected
for that year. This ordinance, which
is prepared by the comptroller and
passed by the council without any
question as to the correctness, on ac-
count Of it's being so prepared, fixed the
amount of certificates of Indebtedness
to be sold for the school fund in the
year 1896 at $12O 900, which is 80 per cent
Of the $150000 placed in the tax esti-
mate for this fund. The question Is
raised as to whether the comptroller
knew at the time this resolution was
passed that there would be a levy Of
two and a half mills for school pur-
poses made in October
prominent city official seen last
evening said 1t had occurred to him
tfat the reason the levy was increased
by the comptroller in October was ow-
ing to the action taken by the school
board in September regarding the
closing Of the schools for want OF
funds. 1t might, the official said, have
occurred to the comptroller at the time
that he could secure the funds wanted
by the school board by taking advan-
tage of the charter provision, which
he had either overlooked or kept back
from the public and which provided
that the levy in any one year should
not be less than two mills nor more
than two and half mills. This might
explain where the $4,000 was to come
from which the comptroller SO sudden
ly found was to the credit of the school
board, and within twenty-four hours
after writing a letter that the fund was
exhausted.