The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-01-27
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relative to the important duties de- volving on you.
 It is a we'll established principle in all properly regulated affairs that power must exist and be vested some where.
 It is fortunate for the city and its taxpayers that the very important powers, duties and responsibilities pertaining to finances are vested in such a conservative, but at the same time progressive board as yours, in which the people have full confidence and trust.
 Fixing the various appropriations required for carrying on the opera tions of our city and levying taxes to meet them are, in my Judgment, among the highest functions of civic
 FoFtuna#e indeed is the city that can secure the gratuitous services of acme of it's a5lest and busiest men to perform these important duties.
 It. has been my aim to make your task as light as possible. by smooth Ing the rough places and by looping of extravagant acquisitions.
 I have applied the pruning knife freely and think that, all things con- sfdered. I am justified in doing so. IL is for you to say.
 Charter Provisions.
 ThefoIIowing provisions of the City Charter will bear repetition:
 Sec 9S <'1The Board of ApportiOn- menf and Taxation shall have no power to make appropriations in ex- cess of the revenues of the city for any year. and in no case shall the expenses of the city exceed it's reVe- nue for any year, except in cases ana for the purposes for which the city IS authorized by particular act of the General Assembly to issue bonds and when bonds: are so issued.
 No money other than that appro- priated as aforesaid by said board, at said meeting on the last Tuesday of February, shall be expended for any purpose unless a special apprOpr1a- ton therefor shall first be approved by a two-thirds vote taken by yeas and nays, of all the members of the Common Council; but the Common Council shall have no power to make any such special appropriation unless the unappropriated revenues of the city are sufficient for the purpose, nor shall any board contract debts in ex- cess of its appropriation, and If any such debt be so contracted it shall not be paid out of any future appro- priation-''
 The foregoing provisions require us to provide for all the current ex- penses from the revenues of the city for the current year and thus to live within our income.
 They forbid us from burdening the future with any charge properly classed as a current expense. They require that before appropriations are made for any purpose, either by your board or by the Common Council, the revenues of the city must be sufficient for the purpose.
 fear that this latter provision is apt to be overlooked at times by the Common Council in making special appropriations
 s1i0 of lao charter also prohibit contracting debts in excess of the appropriations thus legally made, and provide that if such debts are contracted they shall not be paid out of any future appropriation.
 If city officials will always heed and live up to the foregoing requirements the problem of good city government will be rendered easy. For we can safely assume that your board will not make either unnecessary or ex- cessive appropriations, and if any illegal appropriations are made in any other manner they must be ignored. Thus the city will be enabled to live within its income always.
 This Section 97 of the City Charter is the foundation on which rests the whole financial Superstructure of the city. Its importance cannot be too strongly dwelt on.
 Bond Issues.
 As may be seen also it provides a method by which city expenses, not current, may be met by means of bond issues.
 There are improvements permanent in their nature which it would be alt penses, and the foregoing provision points out Q method, fair to us as well as to the future generation by which they may be met, by bonding.
 Pay-as-you-go for current needs and bond for permanent improve ments is the clear intent of the I therefore favor and recommend bonding for the following permanent improvements this year:
 Widening of Congress street, from Main street east to the new bridge.
 Widening of eastern approach to said bridge.
 New garage for Police and Chari- ties Building.
 The foregoing permanent improve ments will probably require the fol- lowing amounts:
 For Congress street widen
 ing (est.) $35, 100000 For widening eastern ap-
 proacn to bridge, 100000 For new garage, Police
 and Charities, 3,000.Oo
 Total. $53.O0O.00 When other bridges are required across the Pequonnock River at Grand street, or elsewhere, they should be bonded for, in the same manner. l do not feel justified in providing for any of them from the proceeds of taxation.
 In January, 1911, we will have a session of the General Assembly. There will be ample intervening time hetween that date and the close of the next fiscal year-March 31st, 1911 during which we can obtain per mission to issue bonds for the amounts required to meet the cost of the foregoing improvements.
 I recommend that the bonds be made payable in yearly installments of $1,000 each; thus making the life of the bonds extend over a period of fifty years or more. I regret that the .erms of the bonds issued for the Congress street bridge were not ex- tended over a period of at least sev- snty (70) years, instead of thirty-five 1851 years, thus redeeming $5,0OO of raid bonds each year, instead of $10,- )o0 as now. The lesser amount would, in my judgment, be fairer to IS of the present generation and Aould impose no injustice on those who are to follow us.
 My rule would be to make the life of the bonds, in each specific case, as nearly as possible equal in point of irne to the life of the improvement