The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-08-01
RAY WARNS PROVO
TO INCREASE LEVY
Mayor Says WaterWOrks and
Other Deficits Should
Be Paid.
vEToES THE ORDINANCE
SAYS 1T DOES NOT PROVIDE
NEARLY ENOUGH FUNDS.
lspeeIal 70 The Herald RepubIiean.l

] Especial to The Herald Republican,
Provo. July 31.-MayOr w. II. Ray
has sent TO the city recorder a COM
munication vetoing the tax levy ordi-
nance which was passed last Tuesday
evening. The veto message, which will
be presented TO the council tomorrow
evening, contains, among other things.
the following statements:
THE total assessed valuation OF
Provo City property this year is ST.
$40, 3S9. With the rate fixed at is
mills on the dollar. you would collect
only S5l,127. You estimate that you
Will get from licenses and other sources
$4,000, making the total taxes col
lected s66,127. From my way of fig
uring, the $4,000 that you expect TO
receive from licenses is far above what
you can expect, as il is more than
was collected from the same sources
last year when there were four sa-
looms and five drug stores paying into
the city treasury more than $4,000 for
licenses. I do aOt believe that you
than 1000 from licenses and other
sources this year which would make
your total income s62,127.
you are aware that the actual cash
operating expenses. according to the
city recorders records for the year
commencing June 80 1903, and ending
June 80. 1910. were S74.389.57. l can
see no reason why you can expect that
could run the city on less money.
More Money Required.
"In the waterwOrks department you
spent during the aforementioned pc
riod. sl3,8l1.49, and according to this
levy you have only arranged TO raise
Ss,52117. This department is figuring
on the expenditure of 10000 additional
money on the system, outside of the
city. and in order to meet the increased
expenditure the distributing system
l. IA h SOD ar1fF n crlk
department spent several thousand dol
lars more during the last year than
was levied for. II is my opinion that
the money that this department has
taken from the other funds last year
should be replaced by this levy.
In the sewer and drain department
you have levied a one mill assessment
which would bring in S2,S4O-39- This
amount is entirely inadequate, as your
honorable body authorized a contract
signed with the First Ward Pasture
company something like four months
go, TO construct a sewer outlet from
Ninth South and sAcademy avenue into
the lake, at an expense OF what our
engineer estimates will be between sac
900 and $4,000. According TO this con-
tract, the work was to be entirely COM
pleted in five years time, and II was
the understanding at that time that a
small levy should be made each year
Another matter Of very vital i'm
pOrtance and one reason why l do not
feel justified in approving the Enclosed
ordinance, is the present financial con-
dition of Provo City. In the sinking
fund for the redemption of the original
bond issue, there is supposed 10 be
$4,000 In the sinking fund for the
redemption of the $4,000 bond issue,
there should be $500. The city has
collected from property owners on ac-
count OF paving fund bonds, $4,S5II1.
This would make total OF S14,351.11 in
cash that there should be in the treas
ury.
instead of this amount being in the
treasury, there is an Over-dTaft at the
bank against Provo City Of S2,5s7.s3,
ma king a total deficit of sl6,93S.94. The
bills for July have not yet been paid,
and as none of the 1910 taxes can be
the expense OF the city TO pay for five
months before the taxes come in, so
that the money can be used 10 pay up
this delinquency.
Cost of Running City
Taking the expenses of all depart
ments of the city for last year as
basis, we find that il costs s6.199.11 per
month to operate all the departments.
and that there are five months ex-
penses to pay from June l to Nov.
before the taxes are collected. We Will
then be in debt for operating expenses,
$50 995-56. When we add this amount
to the s16,93S.94 actual cash delin-
quency, il makes SAT ,934.49 that would
have TO be taken from the taxes col
lected for 1910. which would leave
practically nothing for paying the
operating expenses for the next year.
THE levy is not sufficient to meet
the operating expenses of the city,
without making any improvements
whatever in any OF the departments
The taxes, according TO the levy made
by the city council will be IS mills. or
three-quarters of a mill higher than
last year. II is not believed the coun-
ell will sustain the mayors veto.