The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-12-10
Committee on Assessments OF the City
Council Decides to Place Levy at
Eleven Mills For Next Year.
ALDERMEN DREAM OF CITY HALL
Among the Figures For the Expenditure of
Extra Money is Found $4,000 For New
City HaH.-Light on the Taxes,

The expected large increase of the
tax levy for the coming year will not
be made as the members of the Council
committee on assessment, after long
meeting Thursday night, reached the
decision that the levy for next year
will be an eleven mills levy, or an in
crease of a single mill over the tax of
last year. This will not furnish the
city money enough to break even but
it will make it possible for it to meet
many of its obligations and at the end
of the year the figures show that the
city will be but eleven thousand dol
lars behind while the shortage for this
year will be more than double that
amount.
The sliding scale will make it posi-
| BILE for the city in another year to
break even and perhaps have a little
money in the treasury at the end of the
year. The present indie btedness Of the
city outside the bonded Indebtedness
has been piling up for the past ten
years and the committee now sees hope
of wiping it out and placing the city
on more business basis. The eleven
mill tax decided upon by the committee
will raise little over $4,000 and with
the $4,000 that will come in from the
different license funds the city will
have nearly $15O,OOO to meet ali the ex-
penses for next year.
In making the figures for the levy
the committee carefully considered all
the demands on the city next season.
There will be number of big items
that will not appear next year. There
will be no big paving bills to meet, nc
| judgments to be paid and this will re.
suit in the city having more money to
spend for other. improvements. With
levy of fourteen Dmills the members
of the committee decided that new
city hall could be built and an appro
priation ofi$15, 900 was included in the
report for this purpose. It is probable
that this item will be dropped out be-
fore the report is presented to the
Council, as the members of the com
mittee favor the paying of the city
debts before any appropriation is made
for the city hall.
The appropriation for fire depart
ment has been increased so as to allow
the city to purchase the new comb ina
ticn wagon and the budget for streets
alleys and bridges has been given a
boost Of $4,000 to insure the building
of the new Middle street bridge. The
harbor committee will also be taker
care of and 800 has been set aside
for the repair of the breakwater to the
south of Eichelman park. This will
be sufficient to start this work ant
more money can be appropriated mex
year. The committee discussed plans
for new engine house in the Third
ward and plan is being made to have
some of the old fire apparatus now II
the city houses sold and this money
used for the purchase of site and the
erection of the new engine house.
The report of the committee will be
signed by every member and for this
reason it is thought that there will be
little doubt of its passage by the Coun
Gil. Mayor Pfennig and Alderman
Anderson had worked for many weeks
over the finances of the city and had
hoped to be able to keep the levy with
in the one per cent but it is impossible
for this to be done and the integrity Of
the city to be maintained.
There may be some opposition to the
levy but no sensible resident of the
city will oppose this small increase
Individually the increase will be very
small and the bulk of the raise will
fall on the big industrial plants of thu
city.