Delaware gazette and state journal., 1902-12-04

City Council held its weekly meeting
Friday night instead OF Thusday night.
The most important feature uf tho
meeting was the reading of the follow
ing communication from City Auditor
Boughman, which, on motion Of Mr..
Kane, was referred to the finance
committee:
Wilmington, DEL, Nov. %. 1909. = To the
Hon. President and Members OF City Conn
cil-Gentiemen: again respectfully call TO
your attention the amount OF taxes yet un-
settled forlby the collectors for the years
1896 1897 1893 1899 1900 1901. The amount in
the aggregate in round numbers is Slla.0o0
| less, of course, any error lists which may
| allowed. Over SIS. 900 of this amount Is for
| the years 1856 97-9S.
Last September the collectors published
! ttat which they termed full list OF taxes
Outstanding for tie year 1901 Such iists
! amounted TO between &c. 900 and ~ 7,CO0, yet
| they have, since September lst, 1902, de-
posted to the credit of 1901 taxes over
| s15, 600, and afSthe present time are taxes
/ unsettled for for that year of over $50, 600
| So you will observe that the lists as pub
/ lished were far from being complete.
/. For the year 1902 there is at the present
| time taxes outstanding of>ovsr Sa3,o 600,
! which, however, do not be6ome detnquent
unit, September 1st, 1903. 81
That the collectors have been allowed to-
! run SO long without being Obliged to make
a settlement with the city for the years lhsN-
97-a8- % is not right and ! respectfully suR-
gest that they be required to MAKE settle
| ment for those years. az an early date, and
particularly for the years 1896 -98 without
/ delay.
! is Il any wonder that the Council. when
near the close of each fiscal year. fol the
/ past three years has bean Obliged to borrow
! temporarily from bans, thousands of dollarH.
I when the tar collectors have been allowed to
do as they pleased and practically made
football os the finances of the city when a
great portion of il should have sons since
found its way to the city treasury?
Respectfully, John Boughman.
/, City Auditor.
! The communication resulted in some
quiet conversations among the mem
bers, but there was no comment on
the floor of Council. The finance oom-
mittee will probably takH the matter
up in few days and may have report
to present at the next meeting. just
what action will be taken in the mat
ter the members decline TO say. This
is the second communication from the
auditor on the same subject within a
few months.
During the evening Council passed q
bill of H. Ii. Ward and Robert q.
Harman, amounting to $500. for. ser
vices in representing Council in the
suit with the Water Department rels-
tive to the purchase of the Weidin
farm. This was in accordance with an
understanding with some of tho mem.
bers nj Council and there was no oppo.
sition to payment except on the part
of one member, Hamilton Stewar,
of the Seventh ward. He opposed
payment on the ground that Coun-
, oil should not have taken the matter
. to the Supreme Court after being
! defeated in the Superior Court
t City Treasurer Fesster reported 8
balance of S147, 120. so, of which s67-
| 120 80 is in the First National Banl
and $40, 600 in each of the four de
; pository banks. His receipts during
| | tho week were as follows: FROM Ia,
Collector Sayers. $500; Collector NMo
Call, s325; Collector Lewis, s501 sbhi
F. Neary, clerk of the Municipal Court
S447. 05.
8 The following payrolis for the md 4ptl
of November we're passed: Police De
9 partment. IS, sS1. So; president tnt
$ members of City Council, s275. 26; othe
{ city officials and employees, 81. 1863 60
Albert Hession and Harry /. Gillis, th
extra tax clerks, were allowed S45 each
being the amount due them up to thi
{ time City Solicitor Reinhardt gave al
: opinion that ia order to employ then
9 Council should pass an ordinance OF
/ the subject.
I Council received with thanks ticket
I for the reception of the Union Fire Co
e at Turn Hall on Friday evening, De
= cember 18th.