The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-07-08

AS predicted by The Tribune after 1t
had given proper publicity to the mat
ter, select council has given a black
eye to the board of controls PROPOSE
tion that the city furnish for the
boards use in recording the school tax
COPY of the recent assessment The
resolution requesting the copy involves
an expenditure of $500 and much
trouble instead of a cost of 500 and
little work under the previous system.
The pertinent facts in the contro-
versy are contained in report made
by the judiciary committee of select
council last night. The report was
read by Mr.. Sanderson and is, in part,
as follows:
The section of the act on which the de-
mand is based is as follows, viz: The
city clerk or other competent person au-
thorizcd by city councils shall make for
| the use of the school board "a true copy of
| the completed assessment and shall duly
| certify the same to the said board.
Nowhere in the act does 1T provide for
| compensation for this work. The city
| clerk is an officer of the city created by
act of legislation, elected as prescribed
| therein and his duties are clearly de-
fined and his salary fixed. This act at
tempts to add to those duties, which, il
| he is compelled to perform, he must per-
| form under the salary he now receives
| in other words, he must do tedious ana
| expensive work for another corporation,
| which derives its own taxes and is sup
posed to pay its own expenses, under the
| salary he receives from the city.
| NO APPROPRIATION.
| No appropriation has been made for this
| purpose and none ought to be, except un-
| der the stress of necessity. 1t has been
| decided that where additional duties are
| imposed on an officer without provision
| for compensation, he must perform them
| under his existing salary.
| But the act allows the authorization by
city councils of another competent per-
| SON" 1t seems to your committee, there
| fore, that, as this is work for the beneht
| of the board of control, that competent
person is the secretary or other person
designated by the board and we herewith
| report resolution to that effect.
| AS the city, if it acceded to the de-
mand of the school board and directed
the city clerk to do the work. might pos
| sibly he put to heavy expense, as a mat
ter Of justice to its clerk and as we can
not think the board was aware Of the re-
suits, we take the liberty of laying be-
fore councils some OF them: Heretofore
a column has been left in the tax dupli-
|
which has been done by the secretary
of the board at ccst of 800. In this
shape they have been handed over to the
city treasurer and have facilitated the
work in his Office by having but one set
of books TO refer to. If the board fol-
low their pre- sent intention, the city treas
urer will have to search two sets of books
| or go to the expense of money and time
in having them copied into one book
DTA ,fn,, -pI 1nN1t ha fit " p1
the copying of the assessment books
would involve an expense of at least &OO;
| that the cost to the school beard of max
ing the duplicate would amount to as
much more and thus an additional cost
to the taxpayers of 800 over the cost
| Of the old method, which was 500, would
be incurred. We are further informed
that copies could not be furnished inside
of twenty-five days, that twenty DAYS
would be consumed in making the dupli-
cate and at least ten days would be nee
essary for the city treasurer TO copy them
into one book, or nearly two months
before taxes could be collected. If one
person attempted to copy the assess
ments and make the duplicates it would
take three months.
JUSTICE or DEMAND.
In view of these facts it is difficult
for your committee to realize the jus
tice of the demand of the school board
1t seems to us that the beard was not
aware of the attendant expense to the
taxpayers and that due regard for theil
interests would al least permit the fol
lowing of the old method at cost of $l0
against a cost of $500 II the new is fol
lowed.
The following resolution recon
mended by the committee accompanied
the report: THAT the secretary of th
board of control of the Scranton Cit!
School district or any other compe
tent person designated by said boarC
is hereby authorized to make copie
for the use of said board, Of the cit.
assessment books for the current year
provided THAI said copies must b
made in the city clerks office iron
which the assessment books must no
be removed, and, provided further, tha
) the city shall be liable for and put t
no expense on account of said copy
| ing"
The report and resolution We're ad
opted along with Mr.. Roche's amend
! | ment that copy be served on tn
I | board of control.