Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-03-27
ALEXANDRIA'S FINANCES.
Report Made 10 Council Last Night
Shows How City's Money Has heen
Spent.

city was presented by II. X. Field
chairman Of the committee on finance
Of city council, at q meeting held laSl
night.
The report shows that on the first
day Of this month the receipts placed
to the credit of the general fund am.
ounted to Sl29,971.46. 1t is also set
| forth that on March !, warrentS tc
the amount of $142,2O9.26 had been
drawn, paid and charged to the gen.
eral fund, OF an excess of sl2,235. sc
above the receipts. a list Of the it.
ems prepared in detail by City Auditor
E. F. Price also accompanied the re-
port. Continuing, the report reads;
The treasurer was not entirely out
of funds at that date, because money
to the credit of other funds about bal
anced this overdraft. 1t is fact well
known to all members Of council that
! net proceeds Of the gas works are not
transferred to the general fund ac-
count until the end of the year. You
are also aware of the fact that the
treasurer enters all deposits and war
rents in his cash book before separat-
ing Of charging them to the general
fund, gas account, sinking fund, and
school account, hence the balance
shows the true condition of the treas.
Jury, but the city's money does its
work until all is exhausted. The fact
remains, however, that we have paid
out Of the general fund 42,208.26
that we will be called on for 10000
or more before the close Of this fiscal
year, in addition to the $4,000 for the
purchase of lots for school purposes.
"The remark has been made that
| raising the money to pay our running
expenses, is only matter Of detail,
but it is condition that cOnfronts us,
not theory. In addition to the $l2,-
600 required, | have not placed one
dollar for any class of street and sew
er work, except for cleaning streets
and $1,000 for northwest sewer.
THE appropriation bill of last year
left only u ma rgin of $4,2S5 ovel
. and above the amount provided for il
that bill and the estimated receipt!
by the finance committee of Sl5O,OOO
The one extra appropriation of $4,000
made for the northwest sewer more
than disposed Of that margin"
Other appropriations made since
June, rs enumerated amount to ST..
S55.
1t is further set forth in the report
that the council has authorized ar
expenditure of $4,000 for lot fol-
public school 1t is estimated in the
report that this will mean that the
city will have to borrow from $4,000
to $25,00C, which will have to be pait
out of next years revenues.
a very important paragraph in the
report reads as follows:
81 will ask the members to kindly
turn to pages 4S-49 of the auditor:
report for 1911, and look carefully a
each item and point out carefully any
appropriation that can be reduced tn
next fiscal year, for while none ha
been exhausted at this time, nearl!
all will be by the end Of the fisca
year.
II cannot see where we can rails
even as much as Sl50,000 unless tn
tax rate is raised, or license tax in
creased, to either of which plan
think we are all opposed, and to which
the people would not submit.
care we to continue an endless
chain of temporary loans, and Is ther
to be no day of settlement"
Next the report says: There ha
been some talk about the extra none.
to be received by the public schools
from the state $4,000 each year, o
$4,000 in the next five years. Thl
may be true, but none of it will b.
received this year. The superintend
ent of schools | am informed, state'
two weeks ago that we would realiz
nothing this year"
1t is again shown that this year tn
schools received, $7,Sl2.23 agains
S6,S97.42 last year.
The closing of the report says: "I,
conclusion, the members may not rea
ize it, but it is none the less true tina
since June the appropriations mad
amount to nearly sl55,000 excluslv
, of the $4,000 for the high schod
site"