The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-08-20
DISCOUNT PLAN IS AsSAILED
Auditor Declares Plan of the Mayor to
Discount Bills is Impracticable-
rors in Payments Shown by Books
of the Board of/Education.

The annua audit of the books of the
city has been completed and Charles
HI. Winke of Milwaukee, employed by
the common council to make the audit
has filed his report with the city clerk.
The usual number of errors are found
in the books in the various depart
ments and Auditor Winke has made a
lot Of suggestions for improvements on
systems now in vogue. In his report
he declared that the financial report
shows an overdraft of $18, $1,000 before
the saloon license fees were collected
and he urges the members of the coun-
Gil to carefully figure out the deficit
for the year and MAKE provision for
it in the 1915 levy.
Auditor Winke called to the atten
tion of the council the fact that the
city had been overstepping the limits
in borrowing money and the further
fact that the provisions of the law in
this regard had never been observed
by the council. The auditor held that
the action of the council in voting to
discount the bills of the city was i'm
practicable and he recommended that
if such plan was to be tried that the
city adopt an entirely new voucher
system for the payment of bills. He
held that the city could save practical
ly nothing by carrying out the scheme
and that the cost of securing the dis
counts would be more than they would
amount to. The usual report was made
of the failure of the city to collect GER
tain charges against the Kenosha Elec
trio Railway Company and it showed
that the city had been negligent in the
collection of other funds. The auditor
declared that complete reconciliation
between the delinquent tax balances
and the tax rolls was impossible on &C.
count of methods followed in the col
lection of the taxes. He suggested
that the treasurer secure itemized
statements from the comfy clerk. He
suggested further that the city use the
bill system in collecting all taxes, de-
claring that with this stub receipt sys-
tenn there would be less possibility of
error in the books of the treasurer
He suggested the use of separate books
for each ward, holding that this would
go long way toward making possible
an earlier completion of the tax roll
and that it would greatly aid the treas
urer and his assistants in the collec-
ton of the taxes.
The auditor suggested closer re-
lation between the board of education
and the city treasurer and declared
that monthly audits should be made to
keep the books Of the board reconciled
with those of the treasurer. Errors in
the payment of architects fees were
discovered and corrected by the audi
tor and it was shown by the report
that an over payment of $3.50 had beef
made to former teacher in the indus
trial school. An effort to secure re-
fund of this amount revealed the fact
that the instructor claimed to be ex-
empt from repayment on the grounds
that he had not taken vacation
which had been promised him by the
board. The auditor called attention to
the fact that there were no bonds on
file covering the city repositories and
he instructed the finance committee to
secure such bonds.
Attached to the report is a large
amount of statistical matter, showing
the condition of every fund of the
various city departments.
The audit is one of the most com
plete reports ever made of the fnan-
cial standing of the city. It will be
published in the minutes of the council
and it will undoubtedly furnish inter
esting reading for the taxpayers Of
the city.