The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-11-18
Commission Plan for City Shows
Advantage Over County.
System, Order and Efficiency
Take Place of Haphazard Style.
LEAVENWORTH PROOF
Bills Audited in 8 Departments
and Paid Promptly.
Ask Legislature to Allow Cities
to Collect Own Taxes,

Leavenworth, Kan, Nov. $50. P.
Lambert, one of the city commission
ers. says: 1--WE now have a most COM
plete system of bookkeeping, and
every night the mayor and commits
sioners can easily learn just how every
fund of the city stands. You can say
for me, however, and l believe that
speak the sentiments of the mayor and
the other commissioners, when 1 say
that to make the commission form of
government complete, the city should
collect its own taxes; that the city
should be a separate and distinct in
stitution from the county,"
At the present time the cost of the
paving Of every street and alley, the
repairing and grading and sewers and
other improvements have to be
charged first on the city books, and
because they are paid in annual in
stallments, each year the amount of
instalIments and interest have to be
calculated and sent to the county
clerk, and he enters it on the county
treasurer's books, and that official COL
lects the installments with the taxes,
and then he has to give the city credit
for what is due it, and turn the money
over to the city treasurer.
If a man is buying piece of prop
erty he can not go to the city treasurer
and find out how much improvement
taxes there is against it. In the first
place, he must go to the county treas
urer's Office and find out if there are
any installments that have not been
paid, and then he has to go to the city
treasurer's office and find out how
many inStallments there are yet due.
At the present time it is double book
keeping between the city and county,
and it is almost impossible for any
man to find out the condition of his
property without employing an alb.
stractor to examine the records
H. IL
every piece of property in the city
would be listed and the amount of
taxes against the property would be
carried in separate column, so that
ty by calling at the city treasurer's
office he could find out without any
trouble the amount of the city taxes
and Improvement bonds that were
against the property.
The city's business must be taken
entirely from the county. In this way
the farmers and the city folks will
know what it costs to run the county,
and the people will know what it costs
to run the city.
Leavenowrth county, at the present
time, in round numbers, owes $1,100,-.
600. The people in the county are re-
sponsfble for 100000 of this, and the
city is responsible for 100000.
The city has a debt of 100000 of
its own, so that the city and the coun-
ty together have a bonded debt Of
91,oUUsUUU, anu OIL lndl OeDl the city
is responsible for $1,100,O00. There is
not one man in every ten taxpayers
who understands the city treasurers
quarterly statement when it is pub
lished; generally four-fifths of the
statement is a lot of details about the
city funds.
The mayor and commissioners, by
their splendid system of bookkeeping,
are in close touch with every depart
ment Of the city, and each month all
accounts against the city must be pre-
scented and examined and passed upon
by the auditor. In the county the ac-
counts are only presented when the
treasurer has money.
On The first day of this month every
account that the city owed and was
due was presented to the city clerk and
by him handed to the city auditor
They were passed on by this official
and then turned over to the commits
long, and if correct they were allowed
by the mayor and commissioners and
paid.
On the first day of this month the
in the county clerks Of
fee were full of bills that had been
and could not be paid for
want of funds, and there are thous-
ands of dollars of current debt out
standing that will not be presented
until after the election. for fear that
they should embarrass the county
commissioners.
Steps should be taken at once so
that bill can be prepared and pre-
scented at the next legislature giving /
cities of the first class the right 70 coll j
lect their own taxes.