The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1897-02-20
To the Honorable City Council of
the CITY of Ocala, Fla:

you, just dS you now enter upon
the management of the affairs of
the city, some observations, be-
lieving that they will be of interest
to you by reason of the fact that
my association with the city as its
attorney for the past year has af-
forded me an opportunity to con-
slider some important measures.
The paramount question of inn
portance at this time, and that
which should engage your attention
more particularly, is the devising of
such means as the proper and eff
Gent administration of the city
could be had upon the most eco
nomic basis.
The present indebtedness of the
city, as prepared by the last official
report of the clerk, shows that
there is outstanding against the
clty.on scrip issues-some of which
have been reduced to Judgment
SI9Io7.46. How much of this
amount is interest-bearing scrip |
have not been able to determine,
because of the fact that there is no
record now kept of the presentation
for payment of the city scrip and
its refusal recommend to you,
therefore, that some system be de-
vised by which it can be ascer-
tanned from the inspection of the
record showing the date when
scrip was presented for payment,
the amount thereof and when the
scrip is finally taken up and can
celed. This might be accomplished
by keeping a record showing the
date of issue, the number of the
certificate or warrant, the amount
thereof and the amount of interest,
as calculated by the clerk, in sepa-
rate columns; and it would at least
be source of great information, if
not material benefit, to the city.
Why the custom of keeping a rec
ord of this scrip has been aban-
doned | do not understand, except
from the statement of the treasurer
that the council had informed him
that it was unnecessary, since its
adoption of a system inaugurated
after Mr. Birds inspection of the
books and revision, that he should
keep it. The law provides that
such record shall be kept Or. S.
Fla, Sec. 1907. This provision
seems to make it mandatory that
such record should be kept, and |
therefore direct your attention
thereto.
From the report of the clerk
above referred to, it appears that,
at the beginning of the year 1896,
the outstanding scrip issued as
against the city amounted to sIo,-
oS8.45; that during the year 1896
you have issued scrip to the
amount of $40, 5oo.25, of which
amount there was a reissue of scrip
amounting to S., 1856. so; so that, in
truth, the amount really issued by
the city for expenditures for 1896
amounted to SI8,5o475. There
was also, in addition to this issue
for expenses incurred by the city,
the further amount issued for inter
est on the above, amounting to
S2o7.oo, with the further sum of
$50 for cash appropriations to the
Board of Health, making the aggre-
gate expenditure on the part of the
City for the year 1896 SI8,28o.7o.
From the record of the clerk above
mentioned, it appears that the scrip
outstanding on January I, 1897, was
sIo,Io7.46, being $4,000 less than
it was on the corresponding date in
1896, showing a saving of about
$500 in expense during the year
1896. An examination of the items
constituting this expenditure might
aid us in determining what sources,
if any, we might begin to econo-
mize from.
Under the designation of Fire
was charged the expense for water
supply, rent of ground, feed OF
horses, and salaries. That during
the year 1896, beginning with Janu
airy, which includes the last quarter
of 1895, but made up by emitting
the last quarter of 1896, We
find that we have palc
for our water supply the sum Of
s4,oos.2o; that the rent of The
ground upon which fire houses have
been constructed and now out O.
use, $1,000; feed for horses
s2o7.o2 general expenses, including
salaries, shoeing horses, repairs o
wagons, etc, sI,74I.55; making
grand total for the year 1895 of tn
sum of s6,o1ISI. From the figure
above given by the clerk, it appear
that we have maid for wafer Sllnnl