The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-12-02
CALL SPECIAL BOARD MEETING
County Supervisors to Meet on Deem
Der 18th to Give Proper Authorize
tion for Loan-All Orders to Be
Held Until Money Is In the Bank.

Who ever heard of the county of Ke.
Inosha being broke? About the banks
men are found who remember times way
back when the county was "out on
hmb'' and working on the red ledger
but in recent years the county has been
given credit for being opulent. This
morning the county had a rude shock.
1t was broke. Not only was it broke
but it had lot of perfectly good or
ders which had been passed on by the
county board all ready to 90 ont and
no money to pay them. Banks inform
ed the officials of the county that UNI
der the laws as they stood now it was
impossible for the county to overdraw
its account or for the finance committee
of the county to negotiate loan with
out the consent of the fnll Ioc,t
of the county board taken in an ave
and nay vote. The solution was found
in the issuance of an immediate call for
a special meeting of the county board.
1t will probably be held on December
18th but up to noon a sufficient number
of the members of the board had not
signed the petition.
cit was Just a clerical error ex-
planned one of the county officials this
morning, "but il viii take a special
meeting of the board to fix it En Way
last May tie members OF II county
board were advised of the fSct that
they would be facing deficit in the
finds before the taxes levied this fall
were collected and in order to make
ready for such deficit motion was
passed authorizing the finance commit
tee to borrow money for the county's
running expenses. This committee went
to make the "touch y on the banks and
Their they found that it had to be done
all over again. The bankers showed
them that under the law county could
only borrow money ON resolution pass
ed by the board after the tax levy had
been made and then the records Of the
board would have to show that the resos
luton was properly passed. There is
nothing to do now but call the special
meeting and people having claims
against the county will have to wait
until after the board has met and pass
ed the resolution and the money Dor
rowed. !"
County Clerk Jones was little more
explicit in explaining the nature and
cause of the deficit.
After the tax levy had been made
in 1914" said the clerk, 'Nthe board
voted to purchase the Jeffrey farm at
cost of more than $4,000 and this
was taken from the general county fund,
then at the. January session an increase
was made in the amount for the build
ing of the tuberculosis hospital amount
ing to another $4,000 The action of
the board was insufficient TO allow a
loan to be made. 1t looks now as if
it would be necessary to borrow twenty
thousand dollars in order to meet the
bills which have been ordered paid and
which will become due before taxes are
available. Of course provision to meet
these claims has been met in the pres
ent tax levy and the board should have
passed resolution authorizing the loan
after it had formally voted the tax
levy"
The general run Of people in the city
will be interested in the matter mostly
on account of the fact that they will
have to wait for their orders There
are several hundred of thvse orders and
the clerk Immediately stopped the issu
ance of them when he found that the
county had no money to pay them. He
asserted that they would not be turned
out until after the special meeting Of
the board If the petition can be sign
ed up with more than a majority of the
signatures of the members of the board
today the call for the special session
will be issued tomorrow.
It is stated that money enough is on
hand to keep the salaries of the officials
and the men employed for wages by the
county paid. 1t is understood that no
money viii be advanced by the banks
after the balance of the county is ex
pended and it was stated that this point
had been nearly reached today.
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