The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-01-24
City Auditor s Report
 1Ol2-1OI3.

, ceeos Of the usual one-mill tax to . lesser sum.
 In my opinion, that time, consider ing tI.e greatly augmented grand llsL Of this year, Is now here. The under stanuing between the Board Of Ap- portionment and Taxation and tho Board of Education many years ago. when our grand list was small, to levy tax ot one-mill on each dollar of the grand list, each year, for new schools, should have no binding force needs of the schools required sucn one-mill tax.
 The rapid increase of the grand nsG may enable us to dispense with DOT ton of this rate for new school bulld- ings at this time. It seems to me that, without detriment to our pubic schools, we can reduce the amount Of the appropriation from the SS, 1OO'OO asked for, to $73,000.00. And as there was available from the present years appropriation on January l, sum added to the $73,O0O-00 recom- mended by me, makes available for new schools the sum of $11O,5OO.OU, this amount judiciOuSly expended, as have no doubt it will be, will, in my judgment, meet all reasonable re- Quirements at this time for additional with the proper utilization of the va cant rooms and sittings in our present school buildings, ought to enable the Board of Education to do away en- tlrely with the portable buildings. When the new high school building is erected, for which bond issue Of $400, 100000 is now available, awaiting action by the Board of Education, the present High scEOl building can be used for a grammar school and will be a welcome addition for that pur- pose and tend to relieve the conges- ton in other directions.
 Street Pavements.
 u7o, ,,a,,- -traa+ r1ax,er,a,,+u 4T,ara Tae been expended the sum of $115,O0O.OO during the past year. From the avadls of the short term notes auth orized, we have realized $400,00O and commencement or the year, an addi- tionaI sum of $11,2S3.06.
 This leaves a small shortage which, of course, has been made up from collections of assessments for pave ments laid during the year. estimate that collections from this latter source will realize the sum of about 45,00O during the next fiscal year, l pro- vide, in my recommendations to yoI, an additional sum of $3o,0OO, which will make availa ble for new pave ments next season, the sum of $75, ,00O.
 It seems to me that this amount will provide quite a fair and reason able addition to the paved streets we now have and in a few years all of our thoroughfares will be paved. favor expenditures for durable pave ments as g. much a3I as we S can ~ afford; as
 
 the city can make from a business standpoint. The pavements put down during recent years bear every evil dence of good materials and work nnanship and have been laid at a req sonable cost. I also recommend an additional sum of $15,oOO for new macadam.
 Sewer Construction.
 During the past year, there has been a,yT ed for he zTTr17 nF S1O.S2 to January l, 1912, and there was an overdraft at commencement of the year, amounting to 10,8S1.39, making the total expenditure $54,- 692.21.
 The money available has been as From proceeds of bond From regular appropria-
 ton, 22,500.00
 s125,107.57
 including the Brook
 lawn trunk sewer, call
 for an expenditure of
 about 29,S11.S0 Amount previously ex-
 pended as above 54.69221 Leaving available for
 sewer construction the
 This amount with the additions of such sums as will be collected from asses sssessments levied a,,u for completed enough to enable us to con struct all necessary sewers dur ing the next fiscal year, without any special appropria ton, and therefore none is recommended by me.
 Tax Rate Recommendation.
 In recommending a tax rate I do so believing that the rate I recom- mend is ample and sufficient for car rying on the business of the city in l an efficient manner I have no de- sire to cripple any department by not | providing s sufficient money to ena bIe | the work of the department to be done well and efficiently, and do not ! think that have done so. Our tax | payers are entitled to our earnest con- | sideration as we'll as the city depart | ments, and both should be considered | together and the problem worked out | in that way. It would be an ex- | cenent thing, as suggested by Mayor | Wilson, if there could be some reason | able assurance of certainty and uni | form1ty in the tax rate, and that there | should be no material variation from | year to year. This ought to be feasi- | ble as the yearly increase in the grand ] 'iSt, if the assessors do their duty. | ought to be sufficient to meet the in | creased wants of the city each Suc- ceeding year. Whenever unusual ex- penditures were required for public | improvements of permanent nature. l
 
 be, met by bonding. In fact we ought | % endeavor to apply, as far as circum- | stances will permit, the same rules | and principles in the conduct of city | business that are now in vogye in the | management of weIl-regulated com | mercial enterprises. In other words | as suggested by the mayor, that tax payers might know what the rate of | taxation would be and the amount of | money to be paid by them each year to the city, with about the same de- >NR7 FzAr and directors of all well-reguIated | corporations know what their liabili- ties to their stockholders are to be for dividends on their stock.
 The suggestion of the mayor that | your board appropriate, at the pres ent time, say only the avails of q fourteen mill tax. for the actual needs of the departm ents, leaving in reserve. iE an emergency or contingent fund for future appropriation to the de- partm ents, if, in your judgment, they reOnfre the aVail9 of the rama