The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-09
GUESSING At
THE TAX RATE
City Fathers Will Soon
Fix the Levy.
NO ACTION YET TAKEN
SUPERVISOR HASKINS SPEAKS
ON THE SUBJECT.
Expert Williams Declares No Deci-
sion Has Been Reached as
to Rate - Some
Demands.
NO ACTION YET TAKEN
SUPERVISOR HASKINS SPEAKS
ON THE SUBJECT.

Considerable guessing Is being done Just
| now as to what the next tax levy will
be. One rumor has 1t that the Supervisors
will fix the municipal rate at 1.3O, an ad-
vance of 11.46 cents on the hundred dol
! lars valuation. Still another rumor says
| that the increase will be about %
cents, making the total tax levy, including
! that of the State, over g. These guesses
are based solely on the extravagant ten
denotes of the Supervisors and their
known willingness to spend money with a
liberal hand.
1t has been believed for some time that
the Supervisors would seek to increase the
rate, but UP to the present time not an
iota of evidence exists that the Finance
Committee will recommend any increase
whatever. No meeting Of the committee
has been held to discuss the tax rate, ow-
ing to the absence Of Supervisor Rottanzi
from the city and the illness OF Super
visor Devany. The only member Of the
Finance Committee who is in the city
Supervisor Haskins-said last evening:
THE committee will meet some time
next week. At that time the tax levy
will be discussed. We have not as yet
considered the matter owing to the abb
sence of Supervisor Rottanzi, who, in his
military capacity, Is at present away on
guard at the Santa Cruz powder mills.
Supervisor Devany is very i'll: He has
Mil Valley. If he RECEIVERS sufficiently
the committee will meet some day next
week.
Have you formed any idea of what the
tax levy will be for the next fiscal year?"
was asked.
Il have not" replied Haskins. 1.-The
people are asking for new City and
County Hospital, the Improvement Of car
tain streets, the building of new sewers
and the erection of more school houses.
If the Supervisors accede to these de-
| m ND ma Of fo~
levy will be higher. You can positively
state, however. that the Finance Com
mittee has had no opportunity to
Expert Accountant Cyril Williams, who
serves the Finance Committee, was seen
at his residence on Scott street last even
action had been taken by some of the
Supervisors. looking to the fixing of
| tax levy.
You may state without reservation"
remarked Mr.. Williams that no one
knows yet what the next tax levy will
be- The Supervisors do not know. I'm
possible TO say whether they will uphold
| Auditor Brodericks estimates or not
They may cut his estimates all to pieces,
as they have done In the past. 1t he rec
ommends $4,000 in one case, for illustra-
ton, they may cut his estimate to $4,000,
and then spend the other $4,000 as they
say what. the tax levy will be. 1t may
be more than it was last year. That will
depend on the views of the Supervisors
and L know that they have determined
to do no guessing in the newspapers un-
til they know themselves what is to be
DONE"
associated with Supervisors Sheehan and
on condition that his name should not be
of little caucuses held in San Rafael re-
Gently" he remarked. You might have
noticed Haskins, Britt sheehan and De-
NV Iln1
They did not think it necessary. Morton.
Smith and Rivers were also noticeable by
their absence: Of course when you come
to say just what topics were discussed by
the four Supervisors at the San Rafael
meetings then you enter the guessing
business once more. If they talked Of
they kept no minutes for the benefit OF
the. public. surmises do little good, ex-
cept to cause fools to speculate II some
for, an increased tax levy they have not
indicated the fact to their most Intimate
| friends"
The first definite information concerning
part of the tax levy came from Sacra.
mento yesterday afternoon in the shape
of Equalization addressed to the San
FRANCISCO Supervisors and giving, under
ae of td Se syed Of the
For the general fund 2s.S cents is de-
manded. for the school fund 2i.6. and for
interest and .hdrs sinking fund IA cents In
form of an ad valorem tax of Q cents
upon each 500 valuation of taxable prop
erty In the State for the support of the
University OF California. The. total levy
thus amounts to 4S cents and mills
recolected, estimated the necessary tax
levy for the city to be 1.29 for the com
ing fiscal year. The Auditor determined
in his own mind how much ought to be
spent by the various departments, recon-
mending increases for the Assessor.
| County Clerk and several other officials,
and reduction from $4,000 to $53 900 in,
| the Health Department, and proportion
1 ate cuts in other branches.
| Since that time the Supervisors, without
| taking action on the Auditors report.
have decided to make provision for new
| city and county hospital to cost $500 900:
! to pay $4,000 on the deficiency of Treas
| urer Wfdber; to provide for a deficiency
in the general fund Of So 900: to spend
$35 900 for police telegraph boxes and CEN