The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-13
MAKING UP THE TAX LEVY.
County COmmI ssiOners Tackle Their
Annual Task.


The board Of county commissioners
held it's annual meeting yesterday for
the purpose of fixing the tax estimate
for the year 1898. The estimate, as
prepared and presented by the county
auditor, called for $1240O0 for the rev.
enue fund, $4,000 for the bond and
interest fund and $4,000 for the poor
fund.
The board of control, however, sub
mitted, through Secretary Tong, an
estimate showing that the department
would need 1000 from the county.
Mr.. Tong said that the board Of con-
troll realized that the demands upon
1t during the coming year would be
something greater than during the
past year, and that it would be better to
appropriate enough to meet absolutely
necessary expenses than to allow the
board to fall short and borrow money
at per cent interest
Action on the road and bridge esti-
mate was deferred, the matter being
referred for full consideration by the
committee on roads and bridges.
The principal items included under
the head Of revenue fund and the es-
Inmates proposed are:
Lighting and heating $500; repairs and
miscellaneous, 81, 500; printing and advertis
ing ing ooS $40 co., stationery 200 jurors fees
81, 400; counselor's fees, $500; miscellaneous,
district court. $4,000; jury and witness fees
in insanity cases, $1,000; sheriff's fees, insan-
1ty cases, $1,000; sheriff's fees, boarding pris-
oners, $500; jail maintenance, $500. The
total estimate for the revenue fund with
out the credits, was $18S, SOB.
The estimated credits for the fund were ::
Sheriff's office, $4,000; register of deeds, $10,-
600; abstract clerk, $4,000 court commission
er, So; interest on deposits, $500; penalties
tiicates, $500; total credit $64,6O3
A. B. Ovitt, the president of the
Cycle Path association, appeared be-
fore the commissioners and urged the
construction of the cycle path cutoff
on the White Bear road. Mr.. Ovitt
said that the outlay of a few hundred
dollars would be sufficient to build
cycle path from Como park to White
Bear lake, a distance of twelve miles,
and that such an improvement would
accommodate more people and do more
good than any other expenditure of
like amount of money could accom-
plish
Last year the wheelmen spent 81, 900
and the county like sum, and the
city $500 on this White Bear path, said
Mr.. Ovitt. 1.-TWO thousand five hun
dred dollars was not enough to build
good path, but it made a much better
road than we had anywhere else III
that direction. Prior to 1896 the side
walk had been graded on Maryland
to the county poor farm. AS our funds
were limited we were obliged last year
to use this route and go over the hills
at Hazel park.
There is a dangerous crossing at the
foot of the poor house hill, and the
aim of the association is to construct
path from the foot Of Lake Phalen
through the south edge of Gladstone
and connect with the present path
about one-half mile north of the poor
house. The length Of the proposed
new path is about two and One-haif
miles. We have of cycle path funds
$500, which we are willing to use to
build from Maryland avenue to the
county line. We ask the county to
build the other one and one-half miles
at a cost not to exceed $500 per mile"
The board did not take any action
in the matter.
In the afternoon the board met to
once more consider the petition of GER
tain citizens of school districts 81 and
20, for a redivisiOn whereby a certain
portion Of district 81 may be included
in district 30. Other citizens have pre-
sented a remonStrance to any such
change in the districts, claiming that
it would oVercroWd the schools of dis
trict 20. Inasmuch as the county at
torney has advised the board that it
has no Jurisdiction in the matter,
while E. E. Mcdonald, the attorney for
the petitioners, has advanced a con-
trary opinion, the board disposed Of
the matter by referring it to the attor-
ney general for an opinion. If the
opinion is forthcoming at the regular
meeting of the board next Monday
and the attorney general holds that the
board has jurisdiction, then it will set
a date for the further hearing of the
matter.
The board then began it's annual
scrutiny of the delinquent tax list, and
shortly before o'clock adjourned I'M
til next Thursday at 10 a. m.