The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-10-29
County Commissioners Statement

We give below the statement of tn,
| County Commissioners which appeared
in preceding issue of the CITIZEN
explaining tine increased tax rate anC
various matters of interest to the tax,
payers. We trust our readers will
give it their careful attention.
The Tax Rate for 1897 shows an increase O
10 cents over the precious gear tor County Tar =
that iS-instead q 81 cents, the rate is now s.
cents on every SlO0 worth OF real and persona
property for county purposes
The asst assessment has reduced the real and
personal basis $1,000 000I four million dollars
This decrease in basis is due 10 the require
mentS of the neG assessment lar whereby pri
vate securities we're only assessed at one hal
the face Cdtue, ana bonds AT so cents on the
500; prior to the enactment of this assessment
law these securities were assessed at their face
udtue. The receipts from tdr on the mortgage
income, tails FAR short of the amount twas ex.
pected would be received from this source
While the decrease in the basis and the In
creased expenditure incurred by the assess.
ment and other attendant expenses made the
advance in the Tax Rate . necessity, the fact
has been shown b. actual estimate, that If the
last years basis could have been Substituted
for the present, The Tax Rate would not have
exceeded 10 cents for county taNes-or IL cents
less than for the present year II every Sl0C
worm OF taxable property.
In rendering this, their last annual state.
ment, tn County Commissioners would re
specially submit the following report, to show
in part the exten, and result of their labors
during their official term.
From and including the year of 1892 up to the
present time, they cave caused 10 be built &c
new public school houses-many of these are
expensive structures comprising 81 school
rooms of regulation sizel in the aggregate
These rooms are fully equipped, complete with
new school furniture and slate blackboards
heating apparatus, stoves, and every thing
needed to make the teachers and scholars
comfortable. In very many instances, land
had to be purchased to build upon and also
for recreation grounds.
Nine or more iron bridges-large and small
besides very many wooden bridges including
substantial masonry. have been built.
Joint bridges between Frederick and Carroll
counties have been repaired at considerable
expense-the cost of this has been borne by
each county equally.
Nearly all the iron bridges built in 1889 have
been completely retoored and many of them
repdiRted.
been laid in the several districts for The pur-
pose OF draining roads. These replace the
wooden boxes used heretofore and will last and
do good service for many years.
or new road machines Is Steel Framed
Gilman, and several other road machines have
been added to those already on hand, also
improred Rock CFuSte1S and Elevators by the
aid of these crushers about Is miles of piked
roads were made. and in the future will need
very little attention,
Public roads whenever petitioned for and the
public convenience required them, have been
granted in nearly every district in the county
some of these were very costly, owing to litiga-
ton. In the latter case, the expense attending
Court proceedings greatly increased what
would have been ordinary expenses
lonterUe Hospital has received full share
o attention. 10 protect this property from
disaster by fire, steel tanks, with capacity OF
1000 gallons of lcdter contained in each, always
flNa
located upon the topmost story of the building
Pipe attached to these tanks descend TO the
floor of each corridor, where coiled hose and
pipe are in readiness to use in case of danger
by fire. Electric lights have been distributed
throughout the whole building as a substitute
for kerosene oil.
The entire building has been renovated and
most valuable addition made by fitting and
furnishing complete an upper story, as an in.
Urinary, where the sick and invalid inmates
may be free from confusion and noise and en-
JOY all the comforts accorded to the more for
tunate fellow beings.
The State Board of Health have commended
this and the entire arrangement in the highest
complimentary terms. In addition to this
improvement, nelO and cOnlmOdioGS house =
apart from the main building-has been built
for the occupation of colored inmates, with
division walls and apartments for violent in.
sane patients and another division for tramps
This structure is of brick, substantial in every
regard, heated by steam and lighted by electric
lights, same as the main building. The County
Commissioners We're ably seconded by the very
efficient Board of Charities and Corrections In
bringing these valuable Improvements to com
pletion.
Steel tite cases for documents and records
and the preservation of archives of the
county--a most necessary and important adj
junct-have been placed in the offices of tue
Clerk of the Circuit Court and Register OF
wills. These were expensive 1t is true-but
are most valuable for the safety ofthe records
These offices are furnished and equipped
equal If not superior, to any similar offices In
this State.
The renovation of the Court room, was an alb
solute necessity In order to overcome the diff
ficulty of hearing distinctly any word spoken
in the room. This difficulty has been overcome
and the court room has been improved and
embelIished otherwis- : presenting very
siderable, 1t is true, but justified in the out
come.
The aforegoing is brief resume of what
has been accomplished by this board during
their term of office. They had many obstacles
to encounter in the article of enormous
snow drifts and foods. These had to be pro
vided for rs they occurred, costing many
thousands Of dollars for these alone.
The Road Supervisors-some 1856 of them :
are each one provided with picks, sledges and
hammers. Nearly 200 miles of public roads
to be worked, necessarily requires many tools
for that purpose.
A very large quantity of oak lumber-many
thousand feet-needed for repairs, increased
the sum total OF outlay from ordinary expen
seS.
In closing this report the Commissioner
would beg leave to represent further that not
withstanding all the aforegoing extraordinary
useful and expensive improvements, the ta2
rate for county purposes has never exceeded
I 81 cents on the one hundred dollars worth o
| property; on the contrary, during the years o
lS92and 1893 The tax rate was on 50 cents on thu
Sl00-with every expense for those years pro
vided for.
They will now in brieftime retire from adj
ministering the affairs of this county, leaving
their works to speak for them, having made
provision for the indebtedness OF the count,
| lin no degree increasing the bonded debit no
leaving any floating debt to be provided 70
| by their successors In office.
Most respectfully submitted,
WIN MORRISON