The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-30
DOWN co TAXES.
Topeka Levy to Drop Below
Twenty Mills.
Even Then the Amount Re-
ceiVed Will Be Same.
THIS is THIRD TIME.
THIS is THIRD TIME.
Twice Before Have Reductions
Been Made.
Mayor Green and Mr.. Mont
gOmery Canvass Situation.

Taxes for Topeka proper will be re-
duced this year. The tax levy for
1906 was $0.205 on every hundred
dollars of assessed valuation. The new
tax levy will be $O.199O. A reduction
OF six cents on every one hundred dol
lars of taxable property.
AS a result of a conference between
Mayor VIM. Green and Councilman E.
Montgomery held this morning the
schedule for the new levy will be sub
mitted to the ways and means COM
mittee of the council for recommended
tton. The schedule has the approval
OF the chairman of the committee
Mr.. Montgomery, and that of the
mayor, and with the added factor that
it results in bringing in about the
same amount of funds to the city as
last year the schedule will meet the
approval of the ways and means COM
mfttee and the council also.
For the third successive year the
city council has reduced taxes. Last
year 1t amounted to five-hundredths
of a mill, the year previous to that
one mill and a half and this year it
will amount to six-tenths of a mill.
The state may increase the levy al
most double, and the board of educa-
ton continue to add on more taxes
but the city council continues to fight
for a reduction.
the city's proportion of the taxes, the
total tax will be more this year than
last, due to the increase of the state
levy from 5 mills to So mills and an
increase in the levy of the board of
education. The latter has not yet
been fixed upon finally.
The big reduction in the amount of
the city's proportion is brought about
by doing away with the levy for re-
firing city bonds No provision will
hA h fCI -uir Iii,
No city bonds of small amount will
fall due for several years. The
amount of the levy is not sufficiently
large to grow into any fund sufficient
to retire the next issue that will fall
due and the city will simply have to
refund the issues as they present
themselves until some of the smaller
issues fall due which can be retired
by sinking fund.
A reduction of two mills is made in
the fund for interest for waterworks
bonds. The levy last year for this
fund was fifteen mills while this year
it will be thirteen. However, the in
creased valuation of the assessable
property makes it possible to return
the same amount of money on the re-
duced levy that was secured on the
levy of 1906.
The large amount of paving con-
tracted for causes an increase in the
amount of the levy for paying the
II mills to Is mills.
The levy as provided for under the
schedule is as follows:
.0eoo-GeneraI Improvement fund.
.022O-Interest city bonds
.O10o-Park fund.
.O130-WaterworkS interest bond.
.O010-Judgment fund.
.0050-Library fund.
-OlOo-IntereSt improvement bonds.
.01S0-Principal Improvement bonds
.1990-Total levy based on 500 valuation.
The increase in the total of assessed
valuation in the city over last year
amounted to $420,24O. The total valua-
ton returned this year amounted to
$12, ,465, ,141.
Due to the large amount of delinquent
tax each year the estimate as to the
amount of money that it will be neces-
sary to raise this year was based on
the assumption that about one-tenth of
the assessed valuation would be delin-
quent in tax. This leaves $11,21S,226 of
assessable property which can be de-
pended upon to pay taxes in full. The
various amounts which will accrue to
each fund under the new levy follow:
General improvement fund. .-..-.. .$67, 81. IS
General revenue fund- -----.-'-.-..-- I'SS9d S6do6
Interest city bonds y, 6S097
Park fund ..----.-........----.. 11,21822
Judgment I1 fund -------...---.--...-.. l.i9dS2 ~
Interest Improvement bonds. s....... 11,2fS p
Principal Improvement fund.-. 20,1922S
Interest waterworks fund. ......... IA, ,5S3 50
ceived in actual taxes $64, ,861.41 each,
while the park fund received $1O,S1O.19,
the waterworks $16.215.29 library
$5,z05.07, interest city bonds 4,57S.S 81.
The amount of improvement bonds out
standing, of which the city figures its
proportion to be 40 per cent is $441, ,127. 03
and the forty per cent of this is $176,-
450.S1. The proportion of the $4,000
worth of paving let this year for which
the city at large will be taxed is not
rated so high, being 30 per cent or $24,0 900.
The principal of these two amounts,
$24, 600 and $176,450.S1, is payable in ten
annual installments with the interest on
the deferred amounts of per cent.
The actual remaining expenses of the
city are met with the revenue that ac-
Crues from the general Improvement fund
and the general revenue fund. This. ac-
cording to the above estimate, will bring
in $124, ,622 but in addition the city gets
something like $4,000 in the way of
license. The estimated running expenses
are given to be s156, 900 with $4,000 esti-
mated for miscellaneous expense, so
that it is probable that the city will be
running close to its receipts.