The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-07-14
AK USED ON
APPROPRIATIONS
Finance Committee Cuts to
the Quick.
ONE MEMBER OPTIMISTIC
The Others See No Silver
Innings.
Expenses of the City Which We're
Materially Lowered Must Again
Stand a Cut with a Promise of BE-
ing Lowered Again.

At a meeting of the finance com-
mittee of the city council yesterday
afternoon the question of how to
spend an amount of money far insult
hcient, so as to result in doing the
most good was threshed out and Il
draft of the appropriations resolution
to go before council next Monday
night was completed. All along the
line, the committee cut down eX-
penses Where last January the
committee thought it had reduced
the expenses to the lowest possible
points, further reductions were
made. None of the departments were
given as much as was declared nee
essary for the committee had not the
money to distribute.
City finances are in terrible con-
dition. There is not sufficient money
on hand to pay even the handful of
policemen now employed. And the
police force has already been cut in
twain. affording poor protection to
the residents of u city the size of
Marion. The street cleaning depart
ment requested $4,000 as the smallest
amount that it could get along with.
1t only received $1,000 The engi-
neering department needed $400 more
than It received. The safety board
got $4,000 for regular police for
the next six months but at that time
the department will be fully $4,000
behind. The general fund. depleted
for some time, will be helped out
temporarily. but at the end of the
year, even with the most rigid econ
omy, will be short at least $4,000
The fire department will not be re-
duced although the safety board
members expect to have hard time
securing enough money to pay the
| fremen until the close of the year
The city levy for next year will be
| 10 mills, all that 1t is possible tc
| levy. That does not include the
sinking fund and library fund levy
which will bring the levy to 14.6t
mills.
City officials blame the school bodrt
| for the big increase in the levy this
| year, concerning which taxpayers ar,
| protesting not a little. They say tina
the school board is indebted YER
| heavily to all of the banks FOR run
ming expenses and that the mono!
| cannot be paid back for many years
| The interest keeps increasing and re
| quires large amount of money I,
| pay it. The city officials claim tina
| they have been working with nigh
| and main To keep down expenses, re
cover from the effects of the million
dollar council. that generous bod
| which paved and built sidewalks OF
country roads, and are not to blam'
| for the increase as is thought b.
many. They say that blame should
be put where 1t belongs.
| Next year, conditions will becom,
worse, according to member of tn,
| finance committee 1t will be neces
sary to materially reduce the salaries
| of city officials, dispense with all o
| the hundreds of gas lights and per
| haps some of the arc lights, togethc
| with rctrenchmCnt in every possbl,
| place. 1t is doubtful II many street,
| will be cleaned, and 1t Is altogethe
| probable that numerous city Officials
| appointed by the various department
| will he dispensed with.
While most of the councilmcn
| members of the various city bodie
| and the officials can see nothing bu
| gloom ahead, DIR. j. q. Setter, SOM
| times referred to as the watchdog o
the city treasury, is very optimistic
| The doctor Is chairman of the financ
committee of council and inform
the public that within two years tn
city finances will be I'm better shap
than at any time within the pas
| twenty-five years. He admits. how
| ever, that economy of the kim
planned for the ensuing six month
and for next year, must be prac
ticed' for the utopia will be in the ia
| distant future.
DR.. Setter bases his optimistic pre-
dictlon on the fact that the decennia
appraisement will occur next yeal
and should make a big increase i
the tax duplicate. He says that dur
ing the past five years the expense
of the city have materially increase
while the duplicate has been practl
cally stationary. The doctor candid
ly admits that much money Was sper
for needless improvements, etc, caus
ing the present financial dearth,
The question will be thorough
discussed at next Monday night
meeting of the city council, at whic
time the finance committee will IN
troduce its appropriation measure.
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