The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-11-28
BERLIN-MONTPELIER.

A hearing was held in the Supreme Court
room Tuesday evening before the egisla-
tive committee upon the bill introduced by
Wilbur Brown, Berlins representative,
asking the State to return to Berlin pro-
portion OF the State school and highway
taxes in the proportion the grand list OF
Berlin for the year 1899 bears to the grand
list of Berlin for the year 1898. Hon. Frank
Plumley represented Berlin before the
committee, City Attorney Carleton and AL
derman Laird appeared for Montpelier.
The reason for this request as advanced by
Berlin is that. while the warrant is issued
by the secretary OF State it was issued
against the town treasurer OF Berlin in De-
cember, 1898, and made payable on or be-
fore June. 1899, 1t was not, in fact, paid by
Berlin until June, 1899, and therefore was
collected on the grand list OF 1899, which
grand list had been reduced, as claimed by
the advocates of the bill by reason of the
annexation OF a portion OF Berlin to the
city OF Montpelier.
The city OF Montpelier would not be inter-
ested in this bill at all were 1t not for the
fact that the State has not received any
more than the law calls for from the diff
ferent towns, and IL this sum is paid by the
State treasurer to Berlin, the auditor re-
commepds that this amount OF about $500
be recovered from Montpelier.
The city officials o. Montpelier arel OPP
posed to this bill for several reasons. First,
because the legislative committee annexa-
ton in 1898 claimed to have adjusted all the
equities between the two municipalities,
and it compelled Montpelier to pay to Ber-
lin quite sum in the adjustment OF these
equities Second because Berlin has asked
OF the Legislature the recovery OF the amount
referred to without giving credit for any
proportion of the State highway money for
which Berlin had credit for the full mileage,
including that in the annexed portion, for
the year 1898 And, further, Berlin did not
| IL fnr ~ hn
amount Of the State school fund paid back
from the State treasury and had full credit
for the schools in the annexed portion for
the year 1898,
Third, because the law governing the
payment of the State school and highway
| tax levied tax upon all the towns in this
| State of five per cent for school tax and
| five per cent for highway tax, on the grand
list OF 1898. And the State treasurer issued
| his warrant for the payment OF this TAX on
| the December 80, 1885, before the bill an-
nexing any portion OF Berlin to Montpelier
| took effect. And while Berlin had the full
amount OF the grand list OF 1898 and at the
| time the warrant was issued by the State
| treasurer, 1t became legal obligation upon
| Berlin; and the officials OF Berlin knew that
| q portion OF the town would be annexed to-
Montpelier (under an act already passed)
some months later and they would lose a
| portion OF their grand list. But they failed
to levy any tax upon this grand list until
after the annexation had taken effect. And
the officials Of Montpelier claimed that the
Berlin officials were negligent in not pro-
viding for this liability, which they knew
existed and by reason OF their negligence
were compelled to raise the amount OF the
tsx,-whch was assessed upon the grand
list OF 1898-on the grand list OF 1899 In
other words, they ak the State to make
their treasury good for a sum which they
were obliged to pay the State from the
| Grand ar nf hU ~ fha
| ing of this matter by their own officials.
Fourth, because in December, 1898, q
special town meeting In Berlin was called
| for the purpose of raising money to pay any
| liabilities OF tn. town and at this meeting
| tax OF 20 cents on the dollar was voted,
which, the officials OF Montpelier claim, left
| the treasury OF Berlin with a surplus after
the amount to be paid that town by Mont
pelier, under the act of annexation, was
| paid.