The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-02-23
q MUNICIPAL EMERGENCY.

After long delay. the American city
administration has made the renorr oF
ats Stewardship for the first year of its
control The net result is a deficit of
$4,000 in the contingent fund. which in
Guides the general operating expenses
81 the city. IL is understood. also that
these excess warrants have been certi-
fled by the auditors office as being
within the debt limit for the past year.
although obviously they are not within
me limit and cannot DE redeemed bv
the treasurer without violation of the
statute
Part OF This deficit is due to extrav.,-
s2nec ana part To careless collection of
revenue. The license collections have
decreased and the income of former
years from fines due TO gambling ami
similar lawless occupations has fallen
on, but no attempt has been made to
meet these conditions by economy of
management; on the contrary. salaries
have been raised the number of en-
pioyes has been Increased and the dis
bursements have nop been guarded as
they would have been by any prudent
business man who knew 'iis revenue
va decreasing
This contingent fund is the test of
every city administration. because il is
the fund from which the operations of
the city are paid, Street improvements.
sidewalks, water improvements sewer
extensions and work of that nature
generally is provided for by other tax
alton, direct or indirect: but the contin-
gem fund is Tor salaries for clerical
worA ard administrative purposes. Its
management calls for close supervision
ana the most careful auditing. The law
expressly provides that the expendi-
lures from each fund shall not exceed
the revenue for that fund during the
current year. and if warrants are is
sued in excess of the revenue they shall
not be redeemable except from excess
revenue in the following year.
salt Lake. therefore. faces a serious
problem: 1t must provide money for
this years operations within the limit
of taxation. and it must, i'm addition
provide at least $50, 600 in the contin-
gent levy To meet the deficit of last
year More than that the city has on
hand a large program of public i'm
aprOvements and the city's share of
street paving and sidewalk intersec-
tions calls for large sum- Either of
Two alternatives is plain the city must
Nrovide more money by taxation for
Improvements. or abandon further
street paving and sidewalk extensions
1T must and win meet all its interest
obligations. that goes without saying.
lt ought To so ahead with the street
paving and sidewalks. even at some
sacrifice. because financial conditions
now make improvements easier to ex-
Aeeute than they may be four or five
) ears later
So far as the interest on the Big Cot
Norwood water bonds and sewer bonds
sbf the same issue is concerned. the rev.
snue from water rentals is increasing
Merry rapidly and within a year or two
will take care of the interest easily.
rThe past year demonstrated that. since
the interest was paid out of the water
Revenue and no serious impairment of
the fund resulted. But even with this
interest out of the way. the other ex-
penses OF the city call for a radical
change IN methods and some provision
Tor the emergency expenses of public
Improvement
Just how this situation is to be met
IS for the responsible heads of the city
government TO say. Mr.. Ferry proposes
an Increased levy and a special lax to
provide for interest on the city debt
and small sinking fund. His is prob
abby the only honest way out of a di-
JENNA The city council for years has
evaded the issue. fearing TO make such
q levy as was really needed, but the
people have so little confidence in the
present city administration that they
may hesitate to entTust ii with emer-
geney funds.
Altogether. the situation is not pleas
ant. but il might have been anticipated
by anyone familiar with the rate of ex-
penditure established by the Thorap-
son administration and the inadeaua-
cies OF the system under which the
eity's business is handled