Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1912-10-10
TO the Taxpayers
IF Jefferson county.
EAdvertisament.l

(. in-as-much as there win be submit
ted to the voters of the County at the
election in November the question as
to whether bonds to the amount of
| Fifty thousand dollars be issued for
| the purpose of building bridge
across the Shenandoah River at a
point known as "The BIoomery," we
believe it would be well to issue
statement showing the financial situa-
I ton ofthe County. In the first place,
we wish to state that the project of
( building bridge as above stated was
not primarily suggested by the Court,
but is due to the fact of numerous
i petitions having been presented to us
for that purpose. The indebtedness
Eof the county at present amounts to
4 One Hundred and Seventy Two
/ Thousand, Six Hundred dollars, evi-
denced by bonds, as follows, viz -
$z4,60O.Q0 bearing per cent inter-
est, and $14S,0OO.OO bearing per
cent, the interest thereon consequent
" amounting to ,$7,15O.O0 annually
The 5 per cent bonds will be due in
1921, and provision for payment must
be, made at or before that time. The
highest levy that we can at present
make for County purposes, including
the road lewis As rs cents on each
$4,000 worth of property, and our
present levy being IS cents, it will be
seen that we have practically reached
the limit. On account of the levy for
roads and schools varying somewhat
in the different districts, the whole
rate of taxation is not exactly uni
form for the County, for instance, the
total for all purposes, except munici4
pal tax in the towns, is as follows j:
s Charles Town Dist, IS IL cts. on 500
Kabletown District 68 IL cts. on $500
Middleway District II 2-3 cts. on 500
Shepherdstown " 30 2-3 cts. on 500
Harpers Ferry 98 IL cts. on $100
, an average of about 81 cents for the
County. With our present levy for
county purposes, we have heretofore
been able to meet all the expenses of
County Government, and occasional
ly pay off some of our bonded in
debtedness, but should this expense
continue to increase in the same ratio
in the future as it has forthe last two
: years we will soon have no surplus
unless there should be "a material in
crease sin the assessed valuation of
the property in the County, which
hardly seems likely, as most persons
as far as we know, think their prop
!. erty is assessed at sufficiently high
: figure now, and the valuation of the
property of corporations is being
! gradually reduced, the reduction for
this year amounting to $147 100000 1t
is evident that should the proposition
; to increase the indebtedness of the
2 County be endorsed by the voters
thereof, our income must be increas-
: ed by an amount sufficient to pay in
4 terest thereon, and create a sinking
fund for its payment at maturity, as
: the law requires. Just how this can
be done is not altogether apparent
: under existing conditions. As far as
! we can see we have but little, if any,
prospect of any material increase il
!. our income from taxation in the near
], future, from the fact that our levy for
County purposes is about as high as
we dare make it, and we have no
grounds for expecting any consider
able increase in the valuation of the
property of the County for the pur.
!. pose of taxation, hence it would ap-
pear to be well nigh impossible to
meet any considerable increase in our
expense account, except by retrench-
ment in some direction Now, rs a
matter of fact, a large portion of Me
expense incident to County Govern
ment is fixed by Statute, and conse9
quently beyond our control, so ID
would seem to be impossible to lessen
our expense, otherwise than by ceas-
ing to pay any of our present indebt-
edness, or make less appropriation for
road purposes. Whether the building
OF the proposed bridge is of suffi-
Gent Importance to justify resort to
either expedient, is for the voters to
determine. We make the above
statement for the sole purpose of
showing the exact financial status of
the County, to the end that all who
ere sufficiently interested 10 , peruse
It may understand the situation that
confronts US. We are not opposed
to public improvements, essential to
the public welfare, and when we have.
or are likely to have, the, means at
our disposal to make them. We have
no doubt that one or more bridges
across the Shenandoah River would
be matter of some convenience to
.Ipersons living, or owning property on
the East side of the river, but wheth-
er or not as a result there would be
any material increase in the ~valua ton
OF the property of the County, is a
question about which there will like
4 ~ be different opinions. The cues
| ton that more particularly confronts
the tax payers of the County, it seems
to US, is whether the building of the
proposed bridge is of sufficient i'm
Iportance to Justify SO large an addi-.