Omaha daily bee., 1899-02-15
CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
Mayor Moores Vetoes the Annual Tax Levy
Ordinance,
IT BECOMES A LAW OVER HIS OBJECTIONS
Executive Points out that the Funds
Proyidcd For VIII Not Bc Sufficient
10 Meet Current Expenses
During the Year.

During the Year.
The council at its meeting last night de-
termined that the tax levy for 1899 shall be
25 mills, "the veto of Mayor Moores to the
contrary Notwithstanding. For, according
to general expectation, Mayor Moores re-
turned the levy ordinance without his APP
proval because 1t failed to provide enough
money to run all the departments Of the city
during the year, and, as foretold in The Bee,
the necessary six votes passed the ordinance
on the third reading over the veto FTesi-
dent Binghams was the deciding vote. The
ballot that resulted in the passage of the or
dinance was follows:
Yeas-Burkley, Lobeck Mount, Mercer,
Stuht, Bingham-6.
Nays-Burmester, Karr-2.
In his veto measure the mayor said:
1t is with regret that l find myself COM
PEELED to veto this ordinance. The citizens
of Omaha have elected mayor and council
and confided to their care the municipal af-
fairs of this city. They expect us to study
the needs of the city and to become ia
miliar with the peculiar phases of affairs
that we may be able to act municipal
matters of Importance more reliably than
can those who have not studied these sub
jects as carefully and hence are not familiar
with the details
If / believed that the council In making
this levy had used it's best judgment in so
doing or had done what 1t believed was
for the best interests Of the city | might
be inclined to sign the levy rather than
stand out against the combined Judgment of
the council on a matter which they are
supposed 10 have carefully considered. But
when those same members of the council
almost without exception state that they
know that the levy is not large enough to
run tho city government by the practice
of closest economy; that they realize a
deficit of 100000 will inevitably result at the
end of the year, and that while their judg-
ment protests against such course, yet
they vote for this levy because the people
demand 1t then 1t seems to me necessary
to examine into the matter and determine
whether the citizens OF Omaha demand what
1t is claimed they do.
VIII Result in Deficits.
l am as much in favor of economy in
municipal affairs and as vitality interested
in a low levy as is any member of the
council or any other citizen of Omaha.
do not believe the people Of Omaha are
unreasonable, but they demand that the
same common sense shall be used by us IN
making the levy that we would use in our
own affairs. There are certain expenses in
every department which may be termed fixed
charges and TO levy less than enough to meet
these is not financial foresight, but foolish
ness. / realize that the levy for certain
funds will require retrenchment and cut
ting of expenditures, yet this can be done
in some of the funds and l would not wish
TO alter them since public sentiment seems
10 demand very low levy. | see no way
TO increase the lighting fund, although the
levy made will necessitate the cutting out
OF 100 gas lamps and 100 gasoline and a
number of electric lights. OF course these
will be taken from the residence and su-
burban districts and not from the down
town portions of the city, where heavy prop
arty interested. | aware also
that the health fund levy, after deducting
the amount already expended during the
smallpox crisis, will not be sufficient to more
than pay the salaries of the department, and
would provide nothing for meeting the eX-
pcnses of further pDecautions against this
disease. / am aware that we now have eX-
listing contracts for repairs to be paid from
the curb gutter and paving fund amounting
to about $4,000 per year, some oil whlch e%-
pire this summer. Last year we made q
small levy for this fund so that its total
assets for the year was $17,952.S5, and un-
paid bills for S11,374.54 are now on hand as
consequence. The total receipts on the
rate levied for 1899 for this fund will be
about $15S0O which will leave about $i5OC
TO pay the fixed charges against the fund
which will aggregate at least $2l,OOO. The
result will be probable dencit OF $l6,5Oo IL
ahis fund january /, 1900. | know also ina,
last year we expended s2S,S52.76 for street
sweeping and even then some OF the mel
who insist most strenuously for low levy
we're loud in their complaints that the streets
We're not kept clean. The expenditure las'
year was less than that OF any other CITY
of our size in this country and yet the levy
this year will realize only about $4,000
Those who insist a low levy must mo-
complain next summer about filthy streets
because street sweeping costs money.
am aware that the water rent, judgment
fire, police, library and sinking funds are
scarcely sufficient to provide for the needs
of the various departments, and yet dt
not see how these can be raised for by the
.losest economy they can probably be MADE
TO run through the year after a fashion.
There are number of funds, however
which even the supporters of this levy con
cede to be totally inadequate to meet th'
absolute needs of the departments. These
are the sewer maintaining, park and gen
eral funds
Regarding the Funds.
Last year we expended from the sewe
maintaining fund S10,919,01 and the average
yearly expenditure OF the department f5'
the last ten years has been about $4,000
This would require a levy OF $4,000 afte
crediting the estimated receipts from othe
sources. The proposed levy gives this fun'
s., 10, so that q shortage will exist at TIT
close OF the year IL the sewers are cared 10
OF $4,000. Will it pay to spend only $3.50