The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-10-14
FINANCES Of CITY
IN GOOD CONDITION
Report of Deputy City Audi
tor Shows That Salt Lake
Has Surplus.
GUESSES OVERTURNED
Investigation Proves Glaring
Errors in Report That Sur
prised Council.

Investigation Of the real state Of the
city finances by the finance commit
tee and the city treasurer S staff iudi.
cate n very different state Of affairs
from that represented by &, b. Ste
yens. deputy city auditor. When Mr..
Stevens presented a report to the coun-
ell on Monday night crediting the city
with an overdraft of $l0Q.0S1.S5, mem
bers of that body were unable 10 nc
cept il, indeed were convinced that
something WAS the matter with the Zig
ures, as there had been no eItraordi-
nary expenditures aud tho income of
the city was really larger than during
the previous year. This led to the III
vcstigation.
The committee found that, instead of
the pessimistic state Of affairs as rep.
resented by the deputy auditor, the
financial condition of the city was bet
ter than it has been for some years
past. Where ovcrdrafts were charged
against varions of the funds, subStau-
tial balances were found.
The Investigation committee fluids
that instead of 100000 overdraft,
there will be balance Of moro than
$4,000 when the year ends and all
pending improvements arc fully paid
for.
Deputy Just Guessed.
The city auditor s report, which was
prepared by Mr. Stevens, showed an
overdraft in all the revenue funds save
one When asked to explain, Mr., ste
vens admitted that be had made
euesses and on them bad computed the
statement
The investigating committee made
no guesses, but set about 10 ascertain
. h II, a. 1., ..
Frank Ciodbe, deputy city treasurer
known as one of the best accountants
in the west was called into coosulta
tion. Every department WIS carefully
gone over and the result was that al
most all Of the various revenue funds
showed balance, instead of an over.
draft, the whole leaving the city well
I'd on the wears business.
One pa lpa bic error made hf Mr.. orc
vens was n estimating the revenue the
licenses would yield for the entire year
Mr.. Stevens guessed that The totnI
would be but $40 900, wbeu at the
very time the report was made exact
ly $356,52 had been ~athered IN by
the efficient license assessor, Frank b
Kimball. and his deputies. This, before
the end of the year. at a conservative
estimate will amount approximately ia
S33g.uon
Another error Was in estimating the
revenues from flat water rates at $50
900 where "A total of Sill $500 had al
ready been collected when the report
was made.
One Big Omission.
Mr.. Godbe also found that the sink
ing fund account, amounting to S24,'
10, had been omitted from the state
ment prepared by Mr.. Stevens
II is further found that from the re-
ports monthly of the departments, con.
siderable savings have been effected
during the year None of the depart
ments has spent what was estimated for
it, with the result that the city Will
save of the appropriations TO the varil'
Gus departments total on the year
work of 81 900.
The net result Of the committee s
work and investigation with Mr.. God
be's assistance, is that instead Of be
ing over6rawn at the end Of the year
TO the amount of S100,0S1.SJ, as Mr..
Stevens gloomilv set forth, Salt Lake
will have balance to its credit OF
over $50 900 and will show that the
wear has been one Of economy with the
administration in every department.
that each department has been able 10
come we'll within its appropriation ana
in some instances to save large poT-
tion OF il, and that the city S affairs
have been carefully and economically
administered.