The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-09-29
CITY NEWS
A CHECK BOTH WAYS
City and County Must Work To-
gether on New Accounting
System.
Officials Agree That c. "A. Nimocks
Is Right but Don't Enthuse
Over Suggestion.

'tCity and county must work together
in adopting new system OF accounting
or else all the efforts now being made I
will be in vain and the various sums Of :
money proposed to be spent will be en-.
tirely wasted, says C. A. Nimocks. The
latter's familiarity with the tax books OF
Hennepin county and of the city OF Min
neapolis is doubtless we'll known to all
and that he is in position to speak with:
authority will probably be readily adj
mitted. On both sides Of the public
building the officials admit that Mr.. MINI
ocks is right, but at: the same time they
do not seem anxious to join hands. Tho
importance Of this matter and the fulfil
ity Of either the city or the county work.
ing alone is plainly pointed out by Mr..
Nimocks. He says:
"The city council is about to ask
the board of tax levy to set aside the
sum of 900 for the purpose Of revising
the system Of accounts of the CITY, It
seems to me. and I so said to a council
committee, that In this revision the sys-5
TENS Of the county should be included
and made one system or at least concur-
rent systems, and that the county should
appropriate a sufficient sum to pay its
proportion of such revision. The city Of
Chicago undertook to revise its system
and appropriated and expended a large
sum Of money and they found out that
the revision made by the experts only in
cluded the city expenditures and not its
receipts or income, 80 per cent Of which
arose from taxation and was collected by
Cook county. They have since been try
ing to revise the system of Cook county
to make a harmonious system.
'"The city of Minneapolis, Hennepin
county, the board Of education, the board
! of charities and corrections and the park
board are practically one body so far as
general taxation is concerned. Each body
states to the board of tax levy the amount
/ 1L1t
amount that each body shall have to ex-
pend. 1t is then made the duty Of the
county auditor to spread the different
amounts upon the tax records with that
of all special assessments which are made
up by the city engineer and the secretary
of the park board, and 1t is then the duty
| of the county treasurer to collect the
amounts so spread on the tax records.
The amounts collected are reported to the
county auditor who apportions the
amount to each body.
| "There are no provisions for verifying
these amounts or checking between the
different officials.
"a business firm which would turn over
| to collection agency for collection a
million dollars year in accounts and ac-
cept from the agency such an amount as
1t was able to collect without any further
accounting, would be considered very
slack and would probably make an as
signment in two or three years. But this
is what the city does under the present
system.
"If the entire system is not revised
there is no necessity of revising the city's
portion, as there Is now a, perfect system
of accounting between the city treasurer
and city controller which cannot be i'm,
proved upon.
What we want is system by which
every dollar Of taxation and every dollar
collected for city purposes shall be ac-
city treasurer and until it Is expended
under the direction Of the city council,
and a system in which every city officer
| is not a financial Officer