The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-02-25
COMWISSlON-GOVERNE CITIES
Per Capita Receipts, Expenditures, and Indebted
ness of Council and Commission Cities
Observation-Disclosures Observation-Disclosures

Director Sam. L. Rogers, of the Blu
reau of the Census, Department of
Commerce, is soon to issue set OF
tables giving special financial stat1s-
tics for "a cities-eight having the
council form of government during
the fiscal years 1913 and 1915, eight
having the commission form during
those years, and eight having the
council form in 1913 and the commits
sion form in 1915. These tables We're
prepared under the supervision of
Starke M Grogan, chief statistician
for statistics of cities.
The eight cities having the council
form in each year are Indianapolis,
Ind; Hartford. Conn. Youngstown,
Ohio; Troy, N. Y; Peoria, Ill; Little
Rock. Ark; Davenport, Iowa; and
Charlotte, N. C. Their estimated pop
ulation in 1915 ranged from 100000 Tor
Indianapolis to 3S,3O for Charlotte
averaging "a. 900.
The eight cities having the commits
sion form of government in. each year
are Birmingham, Ala: Lowell, Mass;
Salt Lake City, Utah; Des Moines,
Iowa; Pueblo, Colo; Topeka, Kans-;
Montgomery, Ala; and Austin, Texas.
Their estimated population in 1915
ranged from 1874, 600 for Birmingham to
SO, 200 for Austin, averaging $1,000.
The eight cities having the council
form In the earlier year and the com
mission form in the later are Dayton,
Ohio; Reading, Wilkes-Barre, and AL
lentown, Pa; Covington, KY; Sagt-
nav, Mich; Springfield, Ohio; and
Joplin, Mo. Their estimated popula-
ton in 1915 ranged from 124 900 for
Dayton to $4,000 for Joplin, averaging
IS, 600.
The three groups have been made as
nearly comparable as possible, but it
will be noted that the average size Of
the council cities is greater than that
Of he oft hi Ia
in their turn are larger than the cities
which changed from the council to
the commission form between 1913 and
1915.
Per Capita Expenditures.
The salient facts brought out by the
figures are:
The per capita. expenditures for all
governmental costs--expenses of gen
era1 departments, expenses of public
service enterprises, interest n indebt-
edness, and OUTLAWS for permanent i'm
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT during the two
year period from $23.70 to Y$28. SO in the
concil cities, taken as a group, from
$19. go to $22.20 in the commission cit
ies,s and from $16.44 to $18.76. in the
cities governed by council. in the ear
1iers year and~.by commission in the
later. = S-sess
5 The per capita expenditures for out
lays alone increased from Sc 40 to 5000
+ in the council cities from $3.50 to $3.50
rim the commission cities, and from
$4-07 to 1921 In the cities which
changed from the council to the COM
mission form between the earlier and
the later year. This class of expendi-
lures huctuates so greatly from year
to year, however, that a two-year
comparison covering a total of only "a
cities does not provide a sufficiently
broad basis for definite conclusions.
II The per capita payments for cur
fT1fo
1 all governments cost except outIays
Increased from $3.50 to ST. 53sain the
group of council cities, from 1882 to
1864 in the commission group, and
from s12.37 to 1885 in the group which
fchanged from council to commission
during the two-year period The in
crease in these expenditures was more
than twice as great in the council CT
ties as in the commission cities, and
nearly twice as great in the council
cities as those governed by council In
the earlier year and by commission
Excess of Expenditures Over
Revenues
/ The council cities, taken as a group,
show a per capita excess of expendi-
i lures over revenues amounting to 90
cents in the fiscal year 1913 and $4.65
/ in the fiscal year 1915; and in seven
of the eight cities, taken individually,
/
were in excess Of the receipts.
In the group of commission cities
the per capita excess of expenditures
over revenues increased during the
4 two-year period from 80 cents to
s1-37; and in five of the eight cities.
during the later year were in excess
/ of the receipts.
In the group of cities which chang
ed from the council to the commits
sion form between 1913 and 1915, the
excess of expenditures over revenues
increased during the two-year period
| from IA cents to SO cents per capita;
| and in four of these cities, taken sep
arate1y, the expenditures during the
later year exceeded the revenues.
| Levies of property taxes (Which
provide on an average, between one
half and two-thirds of. the total rev
| enues) in the council cities increas-
ed from $14.73 per capita in 1913 to
1865 in 1915; in the commission
cities, from SILL to $12.31; and in
! ell to commission during the two
year period, from $10.08 TO S11.24.
i Indebtedness
The per capita net indebtedness
| funded and floating debt less sink
ing-fund assets) of the counci1-gov-
erned group of cities increased from
| $29.04 to $36.27 during the two years
| and the corresponding Item, Tor each
| individual city increased.
The per capita net indebtedness of
the commission governed group de-
creased during the same period from
$41.65 to $41.49. Three of the eight
cities, taken individually, showed an
4 increase in this respect, and the other
five a decrease.
The per capita net Indebtedness OF
the eight cities having the council
form in 1913 and the commission
form in 1915 increased from $27.7s
in the earlier year to $3O.11 in the
later. In five of these cities, taker
separately, this item showed an in
crease, and in three a decrease.
History of the Commission Form
Washington, D. c., which came un
der the commission plan on, June IL
q 1873. bY act of Congress- WAS the frs