The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-22

ha n, 'GOV, llere will |
a. aitaDle balance of s1O6,4o5
"ofE on lateral roads and bridgos
~, Included in the bonded system
Tue same ratio of increase tho
assessed valuation for 1919 wiI, ~
SS2'2Ss,sls, yielding wttbon, "
creased millage s257.s14.55. Ne
uueting the same charges az before
amounting to 100000 there will
pe an available balance Of $40
ior work on lateral roads and
bridges not included in the bonded
system.
lhese tlgures, remember do NO,
include any increase in tho assessed
valuation in the county BY reason
OF the building of 21l miles of hard
surfaced roads, but only the same
ratlo OF increase which has accr,od
Win our present reads. What tho
increase will be after the PROMISED
system OF roads shall have been built
ana even during construction is NOT
easy to compute but results from ad-
Joining counties have shown in
general way that this increase has
been tremendous.
Before closing this article how
ever,it is necessary, of course to
say something about the refunding
OF the bonds, for which in the fore
gong figures no provision has been
made. It is believed. as has been
said already, that the commission
ers favor the plan of making the
first bond of $780, 900 come due five
years after date and to take up 500
600 every succeeding year until
twenty such payments have been
made, thus reducing the entire bond
issue in twenty-five years from date.
This plan will enable the com
missioners to have the use of the
following amounts, which is the bal
ance of the road tax each year, after
allowing for refund to incorporated
towns and maintenance of CON
victs:
l916-s11,422.00.
1917 37,O35.0O.
1915 6S,2S3O0.
19l9-106,40
1920-152,914.00 or a total OF
S376,059,00 which, if properly eA-
pended, ought to put in good shape
every lateral road in the county.
In 1921, not counting any increase
whatever in assessed value and with
the same income as the previous
year, viz; s257,91455, there will
have to be provided an extra eXpen
diture of 100000 for sinking fund.
This will make the total eXpen0i
lures $4,000 and the available
balance s92,914.
This, it is believed that it will
easily be seen that the bond issue
can easily be financed even without
the increase of a single mill OF
taxes over that now assessed and
that the lateral roads can also be
tken care of much easier than with
out a bond issue, because 2ll miles
of roads, needing expensive and con-
slant repair, will be out of the way
for several years to come.
Absolute accuracy is not claimed
for the foregoing figures, but as
their basis has been obtained from
an authoritative source, the con-
s.ructiye items are approximately
correct.
Only the pessimist will object to
the yerv conservative estimate with
regard to increased valuation and
If should be well understood that
this increased assessment will not
come so much from the increase in
value of property now carrying a
reasonable valuation as from lands
now assessed at only few dollars
per acre which lack of roads are not
now desirable for agricultural and
development purposes.
The taxpayer should remember
that his willingness to pay the
taxes on which the above hgures
are based. is not asked. He is pay
ing 8 mills road tax now. lie Will
continue to pay that and more WIN
out bond issue and while waiting
until he comes to die for the eoou
roads he desires to use now. Inc
mill tax he is now paying a.
shown by the foregoing hgures'
with only a very reasonable and
conservative dependence on the fu-
ture as shown by the past VIII tahe
oare Of the bond issue and all the
o,ber necessary obligations, Ihen
wb.. is the object of waiting!-
prh,isbed BY direction of the PolS
poad, Association.