Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1913-02-04
REPORT DAY in
CITY COUNCIL
Continued from page two.)

Continued from page tWO.)
thereto. Il floating Indebtedness of some
$4,000 or $1,000 had been incurred.
that the city still must pay its current
expenses for a period OF four months
with the market revenues, which are as
signed to q particular fund, as the only
considerable item of receipts; and that
the city will necessarily on the lSt day
Of May, 1913, have a floating indebted
ness sufficient to absorb 0nc-half of the
estimated revenues provided for The
year beginning May | 1913. This con
ditiOn necessarily means that. by the lSt
day Of January next, the city will have
incurred another large floating indebt-
cdnpss; that its city warrants will
again be at Il discount; and that this
discount must i'll effect be paid by the
tax PAYERS. as the city viii necessarily
be charged prices for all purchases
commensurate with the discount shown
upon the warrants. This is illustrated
by the fact that the proposed ordinance
assigns to the first class fund, to be
used for the payment Of salaries OF city
officials. all market revenues, rents. fees
and fines. which are cash items and col
Icctablc monthly, and. in addition, the
fiat sum of $4,000 out of the taxes for
general purposes.for the payment Of
salaries. being about $1,000 in excess Of
the salary roll provided by the 0rdi-
nance. 1t is clearly apparent that. if
this ordinance is adopted, all Of the
funds provided for, except the fund for
the payment Of salaries, Will, by the 1St
of January next, have been exhausted
and a large floating Indebtedness
created: and that the city will again
have to operate. for 1 period Of four
months, with its warrants at a discount,
and this in the face Of the largest val
u~ations of property for purposes Of city
taxation and the largest tax rate ever
levied in the city Of Brownsville.
In this connection, we call your attcn-
ton to the large, and. in our Judgment,
entirely unnecessary, increase IN the
current expenses Of the city Of Browns
Vile in the past two years. On the lOth
of August. 1911, Mr.. Benjamin koWal-
ski, who was then mayor. issued a cir
GUAR addressed to the tax PAYERS Of the
city Of Brownsville, asking for an in
crease of the tax ate from So cents on
the 500 valuation to the sum Of ~lO5
on the 800 valuation for the purpose Of
retiring the floating Indebtedness Of the
city and putting the city on a cash basis.
and submitted estimates, showing that
that amount would DC entirely sufficient
to accomplish this purpose. The tax
rate actually levied following this circU-
lar amounted to SD - on the 500
valuation; and, in addition, the valua-
ton Of property for taxation in the city
was largely increased.
Yet, we are still three months from
the end of the period within which this
amount should have been expended, and
not only has this nearly doubled rate III
taxation failed to wipe out the floating
Indebtedness of the city. bat we are
confronted with a larger floating in
d%cbtcdnysS than before; and. under ,hc
present unfortunate system of city book
keeping. ii is almost impossible to fix
the responsibility for this e~Xtrayacant
increase in city expenditures. We have
had no great calamity during this per
iod, nor have the expenses Of the cit,
been increased by any boom or sudden
growth. such permanent improvements
as have been made i'll the interim have
been provided for by bond issues; not
only the interest and q small sinking
fuAd on which arc c2rod for by taxation.
This ccmmittoe takes pleasure in com
mcnding the manly stand that YOU have
taken in The city council in favor of pub
LEFTY in city affairs and your detcrmi-
na.ion 10 consult the interests Of the
people who Dlv The bills before voting to
increase the burdens of the tax PAYERS
of the city.
We recognize the necessity which the
city is under to meet its Just obligations
and these obligations we have no desire
to avoid, and we are particularly anx-