The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1906-11-22
Finance Committee Of thesCoun-
Gil Begins to Figure up the
Tax Levy for Dec. 8
TEN MILL TAX LEVY HOPELESS
Increased Demand for Money for the
City makes it Impossible to Levy
Less Than Eleven Mills and
it May be More

The finance committee of the com
mon council consisting of Aldermen
Pabst, Jeffery and Schultz have be-
gun the work of making up their an
nual report for the tax levy for the
} next year. The report will be pre-
scented to the council at the meeting
to be held on December 8 and it is
certain that the levy to be recon-
mended by the committee will not be
} less than an eleven mill levy.
For time the members of the
council had been hoping that it would
be possible, to raise money enough to
provide for the expenses of the city
with one percent levy but this is
now regarded as hopeless. One
thing that helps is the fact that the
levy this year will be made on valu-
alton Of $14, 4S1, $50 while last year the
valuation was but $11, 597, Sal. The
D levy last year was thirteen mills and
it is certain that it will not be greater
this year and the probability is that
it will be reduced. The increase of
more than $3.0O0,O0O ia the valuation
4 will add $4,000 IN taxes for each mill
levied and for this reason it is thought
that eleven mills will be sufficient
The city will have heavy expenses
next year and while the apportion-
ment of the funds has not as yet been
made it is evident that some of the
4 funds will have to secure a larger
slice of the money collected for taxes.
The amount to be turned over to the
school board this year will be twenty
thousand greater ssthan last year and
the committee is to make an effort to
add some money to the fund set aside
for the Improvement and rebuilding of
breakwaters. This work has been
started this year and the plan is to
complete it next year.
The installation of the proposed
police patrol alarm system and the
rebuilding Of the city hall will make
a new demand on the city and it is
Q expected that this drain will be in the
neighborhood of $4,000. Added to
this there is slight increase in the
amount to be paid for county school
taxes but it is thought that the reduc-
o ton in the amount of state taxes will
about balance this increase.
"A levy Of eleven mills on the va1ua-
ton for this year would furnish the
I city $3.50, 298 and with the S40,O 900 coll
lected for saloon licenses, the net in
come Of the city for next year would
be nearly 100000. It is expected that
there will be little money in the
treasury at the end of the present
: year but when all bills have been met
the amount will be decidedly small
The finance committee will careful
1y go over the,different funds, and it is
thought that the amounts appropri-
J ated for some of them can be shaved.
The great increase will be in the
school fund, and in the fund for the
support Of the police department 1t
J is possible that sufficient will be add
ed to the police budget to make posi-
BILE the employment of at least two
more men for the force.
The work of cole citing the taxes
! will be started the latter part of De-
cember and II - must be paid by the
last Saturday in February.
In any event the committee seems
to be certain that the levy for this
year will not be greater than last year
but it is possible that the old thirteen
mills will be returned again
Some Of the members of the council
seem to be of the opinion that it
would be a good thing to make the
taxes heavy enough in one year to
get the city on firm financial basis
and that with such action it would be
an easy matter to reduce the taxes in
future years.