The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-12-07
MUNICIPAL FINANCES.

we are just IN receipt OF the SlAIn
annual report of the department OF
finance and municipal accounts of the
state auditors Office, giving statistics
of Iowa cities and towns for the fiscal
year ending March 81, last. In his
letter of transmittal State Auditor
Bleakly suggests that the law provid-i
ing now for biennial examinations by
the department Of cities of 5000 or
more population should be amended
SO as to apply to all cities. He also
expresses the belief that 1t is high
time for the consideration of gen.
eral civil service law to cover en-
ployes of cities and towns. Such
law he thinks is especially necessary
as to city and town CLERKS, Efficiency,
he says, should be the test by which
clerks are employed and competency
to keep a clerk in Office. He COM
plains that in very few instances are
efficiency and competency given due
consideration by city and town coun-
ellis. and clerks are too often an
pointed because of political services.
Until this tendency on the part of
councils to reward their political or
factional friends is done away with
the uniform system of accounting by
Iowa cities and towns cannot be what
it should be or what the legislature
intended it to be-
Eight Iowa cities are now operated
under the law providing for govern
ment by commission They are. Des
Moines, Sioux City, Cedar Rapids,
Burlington, Ottumwa, Fort Dodge,
keokuk and Marshalltown. These
cities have total population of $780,
26S, as shown by the census of 1910.
The total payments for these cities
for the year amounted to s3,92S,271 or
S15.33 per capita. The total receipts
! of these commission governed cities
for the year amounted to s3,S15,1S4
or s14.49 per capita. At the close OF
the year these cities had cash on
hand totalling s529,5S4 or s2o7 per
capita. The cash held by the com
mission governed cities at the begin
ming of the year was s643,071 or s251
per capita,
The city most nearly aprroximatine
Keokuk in the matter OF receipts and
expenditures is Marshalltown. Com
Iparison of our local finances with
those Of the latter city reveals some
interesting facts During the fsca
Iyear 1901 Keokuk's receipts were
s14J,370, and It's disbursements s151,
$50; Marshalltown's receipts s147,763
and disbursements s137,o01. rol
i1911-12 the figures were: Keokuk'i
receipts s123,326, disbursements $13S,
453 Marshalltown's receipts s162,G72
disbursements s147,0o7 In 1921;
Keokuk's receipts were s170,112, dis
ibursements s17O,112. 1t thus appear,
that during the past three years tn,
disbursements in Keokuk have exceed
ed the receipts by s26,337 Included II
the disbursements for the past yea
was $4,000 paid on the public debt
leaving net deficit in conducting tn,
affairs of the city during the pas
three years of S22,337.
/ A recapitulation of the receipts
shows the following sources of incom,
and the amount from each during tn,
last fiscal year:
! Taxes. licenses and fines =. $3.50, 30l
General offices ........... SAT
!. Municipal industries ..... 6.85
From debt obligations, (tem-
porary loans) ........, 2s,48
Interest receipts .... SO
,, All other receipts .......... 3,51
lotal .,5,s... ....'.-..... SliU,ll
THO lint of die h,irc ON, ont. eln..... AZ,