Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-06-06
THE cITYs FINANCIAL 6 CONDITION


The statement published in the Cour-
Ter yesterday giving the financial con-
uition OF the city on June shows the
seriousness Of the situation with which
the city Is confronted. The statement
shows that there is fraction less tnan
SIC, 900 in the general fund with which
to pay the city's bills during the next
ten months. The impossibility of this
task is shown by the report of expendi:
lures for April and May, the first two
months Of the present fiscal year. by
exerting the strictest economy the ex-
penditures for these two months was
cut down to $15,S74.92. To this total,
however, should be added unpaid sal
aries. bills and expense accounts
amounting to $2,45S.07. bringing the
total expenditures to $18,322.99. The
amount available for the conduct OF
the city's affairs for the next ten
months, therefore, is not much more
than q thousand dollars over, the sum
Maid out in the first two months OF the
year.
Three items in the city's expense &C.
count alone. officers salaries, police
salaries. and fire department salaries
cannot be paid for the remaining
months of the year out of the total
amount of cash on hand left IN the
general fund. If by reductions in sal
aries or in the number Of police and
flremen these three pay rolls could be
reduced so that they could be covered
by the amount of cash at present
available there would be nothing to
meet the legitimate expenses OF the
fire and engineering departments, no
money to pay the expenses OF the
sanitary department, no money FOR
cleaning or repairing streets, repair
ing sidewalks, paying the city's lumber
bills or feeding the city's prisoners.
The city officers, policemen and fire.
men were paid at the rate of $3,63O.33
a month during April and May. At this
rate the total pay roll for the next ten
months would be $36,3O3.3O. AS a
matter Of fact this sum would be low
cred by the recent reduction OF the
number Of city policemen, with the
consequent reduction in the monthly
police department pay roll, but all ex.
penses will have to be reduced and
some departments entirely eliminated
II the council expects to operate the
city on the funds now available.
This condition Is due partly to the
loss of revenue by the closing OF sa-
looms July /. and also to the fact that
the previous administrations spent
much more money than they took in.
Expendftures have to be very limited
now to make up the overdrafts OF the
past.
The city has. reached the utmost
limit Of it's indebtedness. No warrants
can be issued legally unless there is
money in the treasury to cover same.
The warrants so issued would not be
worth the paper on which they were
written If contested in the courts. Be.
sides the officials signing such war
rants might be held, under the law,
personally responsible for the value
Of the same.
It is now a question Of what shall be
done or rather what can be done. 1t
would seem to be extremely poor
policy to make any further reduction
in the police force for 1t is now SO
small that it is difficult to properly
police the city. There should not be
any reductions in the fire department
The insurance companies might make
serious objection to any radical reduc-
ton in the number of flremen.
The council is put to the necessity OF
raising more money to meet the city s
expenses during the remainder Of the
present year. And it seems to be up
to the citizens to render all aid posi-
BILE in the solution Of a very grave
problem. ,g