Middletown transcript., 1911-02-04
Communicated
WHY NOT MAKE A MOVE

II
watched carefully among the proceedings
10 see ii any bills we're introduced looking
TO the Improvement Of the financial COM
ditions of the town, bat so Tar have
seer nothing, nor have / heard the matter
discussed. tt does seem to me that the
Town G Commissioners should eetj q move
on. II they do not know of any other
matter needing legislation, permit me
through your columns to call their atten-
tion and the attention of the taxpayers of
the town to the one question of the road
taxes paid by the taxpayers resident and
owning property within the corporate
limits of the town.
Under the Law Of 1887, governing the
Road Commissioners of st. Georges Hun
dred, the limit of taxes to be raised, In
cluding allowance for errors and COM
missions, was $500, and the tax rate
averaged between % and 26 cents on the
500 of assessed valuation. OF this
amount, the Road Commissioners wers
required to pay TO the town of MiddletoWn
the sum of $500. When the Legislature
of 1907 enacted the law which now governs
the collection and expenditure OF the
road taxes, provision was made for the
same rate of taxation in each hundred,
and the Levy Court has made that rate for
the pact three years 40 cents on the 500
of assessed valuation. According TO the
records Of the Comptroller for New Castle
County, the assessment Of st. Georges
Hundred for 1910 was 81, SIS, ,045, and the
amount OF taxes raised for road purposes,
cluiing as was the law prior to the prea.
ent, the allowance for errors aRd commits
sions, is $40, ,IO01S. This is nearly twice
what was collected before 1907, and yet
the amount paid to the town is still the
same, namely $500. Figured on the basis
of percentage of amount collected nov as
compared with 1887, the town should
have $I,IO0 of the road taxes repaid to it
for the keeping up of the streets Of the
town.
But there is another question to be con-
sidered in arriving at what lie fair re-
turn to the town, and that is the amount
of taxes paid by the taxables OF Middle.
town, for road purposes. No one will
deny that the larger portion OF the in
crease in assessed values of the hundred
is due to the growth OF Middletown. Not
all, it is true, but considerably the larger
part of the increase is directly due to the
new houses that have been built in town
in the past 25 years. have not the fig-
ures at hand nor do know just how they
can be secured, for 1887, but I have had
prepared list of all the taxable property
in Middletown as the same now stands on
the assessment list for 1910, and the tota
of this list is $64S, ,I9O, or more than rs
per cent. of the total assessment OF the
hundred, and at the rate of 40 cents per
500 the taxes paid would be $2,47276.
Making an allowance of 10 per cent. to
cover all errors aud costs Of collection, al.
though as a matter3of fact, the taxes are
collected at the same time and with
no additional expense, as the county and
poor taxes are collected, the net amount
available for road purposes is $2.3I5.4S,
paid by the taxables of the town. I do
not think it would be unfair to ask for a
return of at least tWo.thirds of this latter
amount, or more than $500.
But there is still another view of this
question. The town of Newark, in
White Clay Greek Hundred, the town of
Delaware City, in Red Lion Hundred,
and the City of New Castle, in New Cas-
tie Hundred, by certain amendments to
their charters, have been exempted from
the payment of road tax. If this is good
for them, why is it not good for Middle.
town. Why would it not be fair 2, Why
is it not the duty of the Town Commits.
sioners to have prepared an amendment to
our towns charter and send the same to
the Legislature, asking for the same priVi-
leges or rights that former Legislatures
have granted to the towns above named ?
Think what it would mean. II the taxa
bles Of this town are relieved from the 40
cents per 500 road tax, they would be no
worse off if the town raised its rate 40
cents. This would produce more than
s., 800. OF course objection might be
made, that it would decrease the amount
raised and available for road purposes by
1900. The complete answer to that OBJ.
lection, in my mind, is that there has
never been expended in any one year
since 1907, the amount raised for road
purposes, for the reason that there has
been no need of it. There is now avail
able for road purposes, lying in the County
Treasury, according to the report Of the
County Treasurer, submitted to the Levy
Court, the sum Of Sc, ,09r.I7. As this has
been accumulated within three years, it
shows ::conclusively that ct least $1,000
annually is raised, or has been raised,
more than is needed to keep the roads in
repair. In addition to this fact, the COM
ing fiscal year will see the indebtedness
handed down from the old days, paid off,
and this will increase the amount availa-
BILE for road purposes 1000. annuity.
Taking all these things into considera-
ton, I am of the opinion that it is up TO the
Town Commissioners to make move. II
some thing is not done within the next
few weeks, things will continue as they
are for another two years. 1t is to be ex.
pected that not later than the 25th of Feb
ruary will be set as the last day for the
reception of new business. Now is the
time to act.
Yours truly,
JeeKPH G. JoLLs.