The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-28

nllnShdm is paying nearly 10 per cen
of all the county's revenues it follows
that these institutions, after all. ars
really being maintained by Birming
ham,
1T Is true that if Birmingham is made
a separate taxing district, which mean:
a city and county to itself, the one-fourtf
OF the county revenues now paid by the
county outside of Birmingham, ant
amounting to about $225,000, would havs
to he taken into account, but it appears
that the saving to Birmingham of Its
road, bridge and school moneys would
Just about offset the entire sum the
county outside of Birmingham has beer
paying, thus leaving the reduced ess
penses resulting from cutting off of near
ly 1100 square miles of territory with d
population of nearly 100000 a clear saw
ing to the proposed city and county oi
Birmingham. The business and expenses
of the circuit, city and criminal courts
would naturally be considerably reduced
while the annual expense of about $16,0Ot
of the Bessemer. court would be entirely
eliminated. Expenses for county sewers
and bond interest as well as for the hos
pital and almshouse prisons and general
courthouse expenses, could be substan-
TALLY reduced. Likewise, savings could
be effected in expenses for inquests, elec-
tions and other miscellaneous items.
be combined For instance, the board OF
city commissioners and the county board
of revenue could be combined at an an
nual saving of $4,000 At least $4,000 could
be saved by combining the city and coun-
ty health departments. The city comp
trollers office could perform the duties
now discharged by the county treasurer
and the county auditor, and the duties OF
the proposed, county inspector of oils
-rttI1 h<, 11xrt tte. ifx'c i,,cn
tor of weights and measures. Likewise
the offices of the county and city attor-
neys could be combined. and also the prose-
cutting attorneys of the county and city.
Altogether. savings OF approximately $780,
GOO a year could be effected along the above
lines, and $4,000 to 100000 more could
be effected by combining the office OF
chief of police with the sheriff's office
and putting the sheriff, clerks of the
criminal, city and circuit courts, judge OF
probate, tax assessor, tax collector and
several other necessary offices on rea-
sonable salary basis. OF course these
offices can be put on a salary basis with
out separating the city from the county,
but in such a case the saving would go
to Jefferson county and the city of Bir-
mingham would not be financially bene-
fitted. A saving of nearly 100000 per year
would amount to about s1.00O,0o0 in five
one-fourth that much ought to strongly
appeal to a city confronted with such
serious financial difficulties as the city
of Birmingham But, as desirable as
this plan would be from a financial stand
point, it should be even more so in CIV
ing substantial relief to the overcrowded
dockets of the criminal court by reason
of which, justice is too often defeated
and criminals encouraged to the commits
sim Of ft1rt no nj H.,
record of Jefferson county has become
fearful indictment of the civilization
and Christianity of the people of the Bir-
mingham district.
Erroneous Impressions
Outside of objections from special In
terests, most of the objections to the
Birmingham county plan have arisen from
the erroneous impression that this plan
contemplates the establishment of new
county seat for jefferson county outside
of Birmingham. Richmond, Va, which
is a city and county TO itself, is sur
rounded by Henrico county, which has its
county buildings in the city of Richmond,
just as the state of Alabama has its
capitol and state buildings in Montgom-
cry. The courts and county buildings of
Jefferson county would still be located
in Birmingham and the only jurisdiction
of the city over these buildings would
be that of its general police powers
throughout the city. Provisions could be
made for Jefferson county keeping the
present courthouse by its assuming the
county bonds, or Birmingham county
could take over the present courthouse
and new one could be built near by
for the use of Jefferson county, or pro-
visions could be made for the joint use
of a new courthouse by both counties.
'The present limits of Birmingham
could be somewhat enlarged to provide
for prospective growth, but the annexed
portion would continue to pay only the
present county rate. If desired. the city
could. for purposes of taxation, be divided
into two districts the same as Nashville,
where the city has an old city rate and
a lower new city rate. In this way sucn
property as the furnace property at
Ihomas could be put on the same basis
as the furnaces at Ensey, and a district
with lower tax rate could be prescribed
so as to avoid forcing large industrial
plants to locate outside the city limits.
After losing Birmingham, jefferson
county would still be a large and wealthy
county, and by this plan would elect its
own county officers and be freed of the
political domination of Birmingham
This only leaves Bessemer to be con-
sidered, and as a matter Of justice, as
We'll as to insure the easier passage of
such constitutional amendment, Bes-
semer could be given the same privilege
of being a city and county to itself, and
this would probably avert the future
necessity of cutting off the entire south
ern portion of Jefferson county.
The foregoing plan is entirely feasible
and since 1t relates only to the internal
affairs of Jefferson county it would not
meet with any opposition from any other
part of the state.
AT the national meeting of city comp
trollers held at Chattanooga this month";
the city comptroller of st. Louis stated
that the people of st. Louis would not
even consider return to the old system
of two local governments with two sep
arate sets of local officials. and the city
comptroller of Oakland. Cal. stated the
people of Oakland were hoping for a
combined city and county government
for Oakland, the same as its sister city
Of San Francisco enjoys. So we conf
IDENTIFY predict that sooner or later Bir-
mingham must be created into a combined
city and county to itself-not from choice
but as matter of economical necessity.
What County and City Pays
''The state property tax as now levied
is as follows: General fund, 212 mills; old
soldier, l mill; public schools, 8 mills;
total, 61a mills
In round figures Jefferson county Is
now paying about one-fifth of the taxes
of the entire state. and Birmingham from
one-seventh to one-eighth. The property
tax is collected ad valorem, and the tax
thus collected for public schools is dis
tributed over the state pro rata or rather
according to the number of children of
school age in each county, so that by
this unjust system Jefferson county pays
in about twice as much as it gets back.