The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-07-06
ONLY TWO TOWNS
IN CONNECTICUT
ARE OUT OF DEBT
. Tax Commissioners Report
Gives Simsbury and
Avon Honors

Avon and Simsbury are the only
two towns in Connecticut that have
NO indebtedness, according to the
quadrennial report of Indebtedness
and expenditures of municipalities
Just issued by Tax Commissioners Will
liam n. Corbin- The boroughs. which
have similar record are Bantam.
Branford, Colchester, Fair Haven,
East Haven and Newtown, and the
Middlesex and Tolland. Every other
municipality in the state is in debt,
and the report, which consists of 141
pages, gives detailed Information con-
corning receipts and expenditures of
all of them
can attempt is made this year"
says the tax commissioner, "to pub
fish a more thorough analysis of the
purposes for which Indebtedness has
been incurred in the various munich
palities- In many cases temporary
| loans have been made. from year to
year, high interest charges paid on
the same and instead of paying off
the aggregate temporary loans by in
creasing receipts after they reach a
certain amount, they are bonded and
new series of temporary loans start
ed to cover current expenses.
The total amount Of Indebtedness
/ outstanding for current expenses is
, &5,74z,505.64 or approximately 10 per
| cent. OF the gross indebtedness Of the
state. II the grand lists were kept
! UP to the statutory requirements and
budgets submitted to the taxpayers
: showing the approximate cost of the
necessary expenses Of the town, and a
tax rate sufficiently high levied each
year after the compltfon of the grand
Ii 80 I,
needed funds for necessary expenses,
! there would be little ned for the con-
| tinuous deficiencies in appropria-
tons: Such a procedure would elm
mate the interest payments which in
some towns are quite formidable.
The indefensible habit of yearly
/ running into debt results from the
unbusinesslike management Of rails
ing and expanding public money, and
/; the Lack of courage on the part of
{ officials in recommending a tax rate
/ large enough to meet the need and
| to awaken taxpayers to the true con-
! dition Of affairs. A frequent revision
of the grand List on the statutory ba-
sig IL recommended to insure g. pro-
( per distribution of the taxation bur-
/ den to keep a reasonable tax rate, to
=, permit q larger income IL necessary,
Sand to prevent the towns from in
curing Indebtedness for current ex-
/ penses.'
The total net Indebtedness Of all
! counties, cities, boroughs, towns and
fire districts of the state Is S55,0901.-
tsBs.54, an increase of $15,e39,195.84.
or 81 per cent, since the report OF
1919
The 10 4. net Indebtedness Of the
counties is 1858, 34225, a decrease of
s285,421-s3, or 20 per cent, since
1912.
Two counties show an increase,
the remaining three show no change,
having no debt either in 1912 or 1915.
The Indebtedness of seven cities
years and two decreases. not includ-
ernments are consolidated.
Seven boroughs show an increase,
eleven a decrease in indebtedness and
three show no change, having had no
. Indebtedness in 1912 or 1915.
In I'D towns there 70 an Increase
OF Indebtedness in forty-seven towns
a decrease during the aboye-mention-
ed interval and two towns have the
Same Indebtedness as in 1919.
Twsnty-ons million, nine hundred
forty-ons thousand. three hundred
and fifty-two dollars was raised by
taxation during the past year, which
as compared with 1913, was an In
crease OF about so per can't, and an
increase OF SAC per cent. since 1880.
Ehss am0yNtsS xpenfeds trEsFsgt