Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-11-16
WHERE is THAT $3,000,000
INCREASE?

Under the City Commissioners law
Akron may levy but nine mills upon
the taxable property of her citizens
to raise revenue for the general ex-
penses of the city government.
For several years this levy has
yielded insufficient revenue to meet
the increasing expenses OF the city,
with the result that at the end of each
year there has been n large deficit in
all of the general funds of the city.
For the present year this deficit will
exceed $4,000, and at no time within
the last three years has 1t been lower
than $4,000.
When these conditions were under
public discussion several months ago,
the City Commissioners assured the
people that the decennial appraise-
ment of real estate would show an
increase of several million dollars in
the realty part of the duplicate, and
that the nine mill levy upon the in,
creased duplicate would provide am
pie revenue 10 wipe out the deficits
of past years and guard against de-
1lcits for the future.
Unfortunately the report of Treas
urer Berber, just made public, show
ing the increase of the realty and per.
soual duplicate for the last year fails
TO Justify the predictions made by the
Board of Commissioners. The Com
mlssloners are on record as predicting
that compared with last years valu
alton the lappraisement would
show an increase OF from three to
ilye million dollars I'm the real estate
duplicate alone, but the report Of the
Treasurer shows that the increase OF
both the real and personal duplicates
has been only S567,670 over last year
The real estate duplicate for 1900
is Sl2, ,li6,97O, ms compared with &c.
SS6790 in 1890, showing an increase
In value for the decade even greater
than the city's gain IN population, but
the Increase counts for little as regards
meeting the expenses of the city II
must be remembered that expenses
have increased in proportion, being
SAS1 ,010,@ as compared with S2l9
of-tbA III iNFVt 'ilNb NllAll wv tNHt II
tax valuation has been added to tn,
duplicate by the assessors from yea
10 year, so that the expected increase
for 1900 over 1890 has not material
lied.
The average annual addition TO tho
real and personal duplicates for thC
last ten years has been $6Si1o6, com
pared with which the S5G7, ,670 increase
for the last year shows remarkable
decrease.
These figures, taken from the clty'f
records, apply only to the territory
included in the corporate limits Of tn,
city prior TO the annexation of pOr
tions Of Coventry and Portage town
ships last spring, A great deal o
property VIII be added TO the cit,
duplicate by the annexation process
hut this viii be no more than sum
cient to provide for the public i'm
provements the new territory VIII OK
pect from the city In consideration o
having agreed to the annexation pro
ceedlngs.
The failure OF the new duplicate (
meet the expectations Of the Com
mlssloners Is an unfortunate thin,
forahe city. II means that many pub
lie improvements and benefits tina
could be paid for by the excess ger
eral revenues Of the city must be Will
held, II will require better manng,
ment Of the municipal finances tina
ever II the city is to be spared tn
alternative OF going still farther Int
debt or petitioning the Legislator
10 permit an increase Of the tax lev
sufficient to provide adequate revenu
for the city's general expenses.