The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-06-01
City Council Fixed 1911 Assess
ment at $2.35 Last Night
TWO MEMBERS DIRECTING
Mayor Mutch Thinking II Ought to Be
Less and Alderman Thurston Declar-
ing More Was Needed If Proposed
Expenditures Are Carried Out.

Inc Tax rate OF the city TINS year
will be So 80, an increase OF Ave
cents over last year This rate was
fixed by the city council in special ses-
sion last evening after the question
had been under discussion for two
hours. The motion to adopt the reso-,
tuition, fixing the tax rate at So 35.
which was adopted at the meeting held
Monday night and later reconsidered
so that the resolution nigh be held for
a special session, was made by Alder
man Rossi and was seconded by AL
dcrman Brown. The vote on the reso.
luton was taken last night by roll call,
which resulted in 5 for adoption and 2
against it Alderman Thurston and the
mayor being the two opposing voters
This vote stood exactly the same as
Monday nights vote on the adoption
OF the resolution, and in the discus
sion last night Alderman Thurston
stated that he voted no because he
knew that even so 35 tax was not
high enough to cover the expenses of
Iall the work that has already been
mapped out to be done this year, and
be thought the council should decide on
what expenses they could cut out be-
fore they voted ON the adoption of a,
| tax rate If they wanted low rate
| The mayor said that he voted no be-
cause he wanted q 81 30 rate. and he
still thought it could be done
That the council might know more
definitely what their income would be
/ on the grand list this year the city
clerk presented figures showing that
the real estate personal property and
.a1T - IL II = -
| The clerk said that when the finance
committee made up its estimated ex-J
pcnse account for 1911 they based 1t cnt
last years grand list which was $751;
3IS 02, plus the additional amount
made by the quadrennial appraisal which
increased the valuation of the real es-
tate by Sl06.4l0 The decrease in the
taxable personal property, however,
lad offset this increase in real estate to
the extent that the estimated income
was much less than they had antici-
pated.
The clerk said that in talking with
the assessors in regard to the grand
list he was led to believe from what
they told him that the abatements and
ncollected taxes this year would be
a good deal more this year than last
year which would lessen the income He
said that there was surprising in
crease in the offsets on personal prop
erty this year which would amount to
$4,000 or $4,000, and would take
away part OF the increase in real es-
tate which was made in the quadren.
nial appraisal
He also said that the changing of the
law at the last legislature so that tax
payers were no longer obliged to sign
an inventory at the assessors Office
had greatly handicapped the assessors
in getting hold of the poll tax payers
and getting their names right, especial
" in this city where there are so many
foreign names and SO many workmen
are coming into the city and leaving
all the time File sad the city has to
pay its taxes to the state and the
schools on the grand list as it is first
made up by the assessors and all Of
the abated taxes and uncollected taxes
tho city had to pay on, making an adj
ditional expense to the city He said
that 81 81 of every poll tax listed had
TO be paid to the schools whether it
was ever collected by the city or not,
and all of these things added to the
expense of the city had to be
taken into account when the estimated
expenses for the ensuing year are be-
ing made up
Alderman Wiley of the finance COM
mittee stated he considered that when
the committee made up the estimated
expenses and figured on 80 25 tax for
the year they were better off then
than now, figuring it on 50 80 tax
-g ~ l,X lntr.
since been voted, namely the six cent
tax by the city and the councils vote
to pave North Main street to Granite
street and to purchase an auto truck.
The mayor said that the committee at
The beginning of the year had favored
i 50 % tax and he thought that they
ought to live up to that as near as
they possibly could and that a S2 80 tax
would be nearer right for the benefit
ii the city.
Alderman Wiley replied that when the
committee figured out the estimated ex
,cnses first en- $2 20 rate they fig
Ired just as close as it was possible to
10 and in fact cut down some of the
department. appropriations from what
hey were the year before in order to
ret through the year on a S2 20 tax;
,ut now, he said the conditions have
hanged so that it would be impossible,
lie believed, to get on with less than a
2 35 tax He said that it was neces-
ary to have at least balance of
10000 at the end of the year ia help
meet the expenses of the city until the
axes begin to come in for the next
ear or the city would find itself in
I've hole. He said that since January |
i this year to May l2 the citys ex-
enses have been S65,24l and to meet
hese expenses the city ic allowed to
orrow more than $4,000 With the
bove expense account as basis, the
ity has got t. have a balance at the
nd of the year or a special city meet
lg would be necessary to authorize
mother loan.
The other members of the council ex-
ept Alderman Thurston, who stood
or eurtailing expenses or a still
igher tax, were Of the opinion that
he s. IS rate was the lowest that
Duld De made under the conditions.
wo hours had been taken up in dis
lssion when 70 bring the question TO
ote Alderman RnSsi moved the ahop-