The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-07-28
CUT SCHOOL BUDGET
SLASHED BY THE COUNCIL JOINT
COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND
MEANS
ZIMMERMAN Is DIsPLEAsED
Many Of the Teachers' Contracts
VIII Be NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of
Corporation Counsel Markham
Declaring the Act InvaIid-COn-
sternatiOn of Joint Committee.


Corporation Counsel Markham
Declaring the Act InvaIid-COn-
sternatiOn of Joint Committee.
The joint committee ON ways and
means of the common council last even
ing decided to recommend the passage
of a resolution allowing $4,000 for thu
school budget in place of the 1852, $50 ask
ed for by the school board. The reduc-
ton was rendered necessary by the rem
dering of a carefully written opinion
by the corporation counsel declaring tho
legislative act allowing the one and a
half mill additional levy to DO unconsti-
tutional. The cutting of the estimate
submitted by the board, it was stated
last evening by President Zimmerman,
will not only cripple the board, but rem
der it necessary to invalidate many of
the contracts made with the teachers
that the board has engaged for the cur.
rent year.
In his opinion, declaring the act inval-
id, Corporation Counsel Markham said:
The necessity of raising additional rev.
enue for the support of the public schools
of this city, especially for the erection, re-
pair, furnishing and fittings Of school
buildings, is a we'll recognized and an
obvious one and this furnishes an addi-
tional reason why the act under consider
alton ought to be sustained If it is pos
sible to do so within the rules and limita
tons laid down by the highest court of
the state.
The act applied to all cities having a
population of over fifty thousand inhabit-
ants, thus embracing within it's terms the
cities of St. Paul, Minneapolis and Du-
luth. The classification is proper one,
and the act is general in form.
1 think it is the duty Of your committee
and of the common council to reduce the
| aggregate OF the school budget before
you, so that the amount to be raised by
taxation under the provisions of the city
charter shall not be in excess of two and
half mills on the dollar upon all the
property in the city taxable under the
laws of this state, and in taking this &C
ton, the council should determine what
portion of the aggregate amount shall be
expended for the salaries of teachers and
other employees, and what amount shall
be appropriated for other expenses, in
Guiding the necessary and essential re-
pairs upon the school buildings now in
use.
SEPARATE LEVY WANTED.
The question Of levying a separate and
| Independent tax not exceeding one and a
half mills on the dollar of the taxable
property of the city, by resolution of the
common council, to be reported to the
county auditor and placed upon the tax
| roll for the current year may be taken up
and considered by the council in due
| course, and, although my opinion is that
the entire act is unconstitutional and
void, yet in view Of the fact that 1 may
be mistaken as to this, and in Difference
| to the public wish for additional school
| buildings and additional school facilities
| it might not be unwise for the common
| council to make separate and distinct
levy, entirely disassociated from the pres
ent school budget, for the construction
and furnishing Of new buildings and the
| repair of existing ones, and report the
same to the county auditor in the man
ner provided by the general laws of the
state. The question of the validity Of the
! act as a separate and independent grant
Of power might then be raised by any
taxpayer who should see fit to take the
necessary proceedings to restrain the en-
forcement of such tax. If the levy should
be sustained and the payment Of such ad-
ditional tax enforced, the money arising
! therefrom would come into the treasury
early next year, and provision might then
| be made for expanding the same in the
| construction of new buildings and in the
necessary repairs upon existing ones.
| This course will meet Mr.. Chapin's sug-
gestiOn that If the new law IS carried out
separate IRON the Old there can be no
danger Of visiting the assessment made
under the special law even If the in
creased levy should be found to be I'M
constitutional.
1T CREATED CONSIDERATION.
The opinion was read by Aid Sanborn,
as chairman of the joint committee, and
created CONSERVATION among the mem
bers. Then the chairman read a list Of
the total amounts raised for five years,
as follows: Eighteen hundred and nine
tyfour, $50. 160; 1885. 1896 1872; 1885, 1896 $50
1897, $499, 1885,, and 1898, $36S,571, or a to-
tai of $2,265,577 The disbursements for
the same period were 81, 1885, 9S2, leaving a
balance on hand of $685. The state
apportionment this year will, he said be
oh obi OH fo-
st. Paul. After figuring in other sources
Of income the total figured as follows:
State appOrtionment ................ $74. 600
Two and a half-mill levy (estimat-
ed sc per cent colelctable) ........ 1885, 90
Local one mill tax ESTIMATED 80
per cent? ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 13,C00
Receipts from back taxes .......... 6o,CO0
Balance ........ NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. Is, 594
Total .......... ....................$42 1, 594
The one and q half mill levy, estimat-
irg so per cent collectable would have
realized $112,O0 net, and had been consid-
cred by the school board in the prepara-
ton of an estimate.
ZIMMERMAN DISAPPOINTED.
The resolution, as the committee desired
to recommend it, was as follows:
| Teachers salaries ................. 1927. 30
General salaries Observation-Disclosures. 40 O0O
Fuel and Supplies Observation-Disclosures. $50. $50
Total ........... ...................e42O
It was decided to follow the sugges-
ton of the corporation counsel and pre-.
sent a separate resolution for the ono
and a half mill levy and let any one
object that wishes to test the matter
in court.
President Zimmerman, of the school
board, who was present at the meeting.
was very much disappointed at the ac-
ton Of the committee taken In conjunc,
ton with the report of the corporation
counsel
1T is a shame" he said. We have
total of 2,4S5 seats, counting in the
stores and churches that we are using
There are $4,000 children attending, and
there would be 10000 at least If many of
them were not driven to the parochial
schools for want of accommodations.
There is no chance of our getting any
of this one and half mill levy now.
1t simply means that we will be unable
to carry out our contracts made with
| the teachers, and many of the best OF
them will be forced to leave us We
shall be forced to use college graduates
and people of inexperience where we
| need the best"
LETTER CARRIERS PICNIC.