Arizona republican., 1916-06-22

The city tax rate, which formerly | { ranged from $1 to $1.3O, was this | year reduced to S5 cents. and vet the administration will complete the fiscal 1 year with surplus of over $50, 900. l | This reduction in tax rate is ali the more noteworthy because there was revenue loss of $26000 from liquor licenses, due to state prohibition, and S2S.O00 loss from occupational taxes, | which were abolished.
 There was also a loss of revenue from a dropping off of police court fines, and there was a reduction in the assessed valuation of property to the extent of $2,000,0O0. Had con- ditions remained the same, the tax rate would have been reduced to 50 cents.
 The amount of public improvement work has remained about the same, but many economies have been ef- 1 fected in it's performance To men, tion but one, there is the abolition of the city corral and the substitu- | tion of driven vehicles i throughout the city departments The city corral was well established iri- stitution for petty grafting-the rent ing of worn out and skinny horses to the city to be cared for and fat tened at public expense. Increased efficiency of the city fire department has reduced the annual fire loss from about s200,000 to less than $25,000.
 The city manager has frankly ac- knowledged that it has been impos- sible to avoid politics entirely, and that he is frequently hampered in the \ matter of appointments by the com mission. Nevertheless. he has prac- tically insisted on the efficient ad- J mnistration of the various bureaus under him. of which the results speak for themselves. For instance, he in sisted on the employment of com petent city engineer, and the doubling of the salary of that office so that competent engineer would accept it. The present city manager has no serious fault to find with the charter requirements which make him more dependent on the will of the commits sion. He truly says that conditions are the same as they are in every
 business corporation and that if the manager is out of harmony with the majority of the commission or board of directors, or lacks it's con- fidence, it is better for all concerned
 that he resign.
 As previously noted. the cityman-
 ager form of government is just
 emerging from crucial test At the
 election of the first Tuesday in April
 a mayor and two commissioners were
 elected. The former mayor and Ont
 commissioner had been very antag- , onistc to the city manager, and ir 1 announcing his candidacy for re-elec-
 ton this mayor published broadcast
 the statement that if he and his
 choice of new commissioners were
 elected, he would clean out the pres
 ent city administration and reduce Il the city managers salary from $5,00I
 to $2500 per annum. Fortunately, h'
 was defeated. and the chances ar'
 that the city manager form of gov
 ernment will triumph and will b.
 firmly established beyond the reacl
 of irresponsible politicians before an
 other election for a commission ma
 jority occurs.
 There are those in Phoenix wh'
 claim that the experience with city
 manager government has demonstrat
 ed its failure-that the office ha
 become a plaything in politics ant l the manager forced to become poll
 tician-but that has not yet beel
 proved