Omaha daily bee., 1905-09-29
STATUS OF CITY TREASURY
Illegal in Judgment Of Engineer Rssswst'r,
Who iS Making Investigation,
FUNDS CRIPPLED BY NEW CHARTER
Repairs, Improvements and Protso-
ton of City Distracted be-
cause of Action of the
Last legislature.

That the present crippled financial con-
dition of the city may be illegal and with
out warrant OF law Is the opinion of City
Engineer Rosewater, who said Thursday
morning that he intended to make an in
vestigation OF the subject for the purpose
OF satisfying himself. His own depart
ment may be forced to suspend much OF
its work or run into a deficit OF several
thousand dollars before the end of the
year. and the engineer is directly inter-
ested in the matter
To date the new financial arrangements
of the charter enacted by the Last leEisla-
ture have caused the discontinuance OF the
municipal asphalt repair plant with rhlch
necessary work left undone; the announce
ment that the police department will he
cut In two october Is, II about 5000 is
not forthcoming from private sources; the
dependency Of street lighting for the re-
mainder of the year on a pending court
decisions Gripping the fire department by
preventing the purchase OF 10000 feet of
badly needed hose shutting on the proper
administration of the city engineers de-
partment; preventing the street commits
sioner from making needed repairs 10 un-
paved streets damaged by heavy rains and
from properly cleaning the streets.
Fire Department saved.
The fire department was saved by the dis
covery that a 1904 bill OF n5,OO0 for APP
paratus had been paid out of 1906 revenues.
The sum was transferred from the general
levy, or sinking fund, back TO the fire
fund, giving the department almost enough
to see 1t through to December 81, II strict
economy is practiced.
There is big question in my mind al
to whether or not all this saving and
scrimping and the consequent impairing
of the service rendered by the city govern
ment is necessary or required by law"
says the engineer. 1T will be remembered
that the annual levy was made and the
funds distributed three months before the
new charter took effect and before It was
prepared or enacted by the legislature The
1906 accounts were figured on the old char.
ter basis. The new law requires that all
delinquent taxes and SURPRISES remaining
over in funds be transferred to the sink
ing fund, which shall not be used 10 liqui-
dating current revenues. The result is that
considerable money. which used to be
pro-rated to the various funds as rapidly
as it came in from back taxes, scavenger
law sales and other sources, could not be
placed in the special or general fund this
year.
Not Enough Money levied.
THE mayor and council computed on the
financial requirements of the old charter
to carry on the government for the year
The result was that not enough money
was levied to take care Of the fixed
charges and obligations falling due. Sur
pluses from last year which were counted
on were cut out OF the 1906 funds altogether.
The natural result was ensuing deficiencies
ct contend that as a matter of equity
the new charter requirements as 10 finance
should not have operated until after the
close OF 1905. A chance should have been
given the city government to arrange its
affairs SO as not TO violate the law and
still not impair the efficiency OF the public
institutions. am confident that court
would bear me out and II necessary
will be willing to carry the case to ad-
judlcation."