The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-07-29
BIG INCREASE SHOWN
IN MUNICIPAL DEBT
Statistics of City Clerks of In
diana Indicate Growth
Of $1,574,245.47.
SCHOOL IMPROVE EMIT.
REGARDLESS OF THE ADDED
DEBT THE TAX LEVY OF A MA
JoRITY OF THE CORPORATIONS
HAS DECREASED.
SCHOOL IMPROVE EMIT.

Reports submitted by city clerks o.
the state to the Bureau of Statistic.
show some interesting figures rela
tive to municipal ownership of public
utilities. The ownership of water
plants by cities is especially dealt
with in these reports.
The reports show that the water
hydrants of Indianapolis which are
owned by private corporations cost
the city for the city's own use for
fires, street flushing, etc, s45 year
for each hydrant.
The town of Clinton maintains its
own water plant at a cost of $65 a
year for each hydrant for city purpos-
eS.
The town of Butler operates its
own water plant, and does SO at a
cost of $13.65 a year per hydrant.
At Elwood. where a municipal
water plant is maintained, the cost
to the city for city water is $50 for
each hydrant.
city water, although owning its own
plant.
At Kokomo a private corporation
charges the city $25 a year per hy-
drant "This means" said Deputy
Statistician Peetz, that the city must
pay $25 year per hydrant for the
water it uses in extinguishing fires,
flushing cutters and supplying the city
institutions with water. AS to wheth-
err it pays for city to maintain
water works is a question for experts
to figure out"
Debt Increases.
The report of the city clerks also
deals with the bonded Indebtedness
of the cities of the state. Tabulated
figures at the office of the Bureau of
Statistics compiled from these re-
ports show that the outstanding city
bonds amount to S10,540 ,65611; out
standing school bonds aggregate
1854 $50: Improvement bonds a
mount to s139 ,62S.1S. The total bond
ed Indebtedness of Indiana cities ag-
gregates 1925, O34.29. The floating
debt of the cities is 1892, Other
debts. including court judgments,
amount to s120,014.21.
The total gross debt of all the cit
les or the state Is Slf,-o :, 10 -.uo. All
err deducting a sinking fund of $493,-
256.s5 three cities have a net indebt-
edness of $13,794 ,415.S3.
These figures show an increase in
city bonds over last year of s422,S17.-
90. They show also an increase in
school bonds of s1,31S,650. The in
crease in improvement bonds this
year in s17.65S.22.
The increase in the net debt of In
diana cities over last year is s1,574,-
245.47.
Tax Decreases.
The greater part of this increase is
due to the school Indebtedness OF
cities which amounts to S1,31S,65O.
These figures show that the school
corporations OF Indiana cities have
made rapid improvements in the way
of acquiring additional school prop |
critics
While the Indebtedness of cities has
increased the tax levy in nearly ev-
cry city has decreased. Union City /
has the lowest tax levy in the state
121a cents on each 500 of taxable |
property East Chicago has the high |
est levy. Ii now reaches S3.SS on I
each 500 worth of taxable property /
1t is said this increase in the tax levy |
is partly due to long period of liti- 1
cation in which the city has been in
yolved. In 90 per cent. of the cities /
the tax levy has been decreased in the 4