The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-11-14
The Forty Million City.

The Forty Million City.
Ten years ago when Kenosha was a
city Of twenty-seven thousand people
and had lot Of wants to be filed it
had an assessed valuation Of little
over eighteen million dollars and it
levied ten mill tax on this valuation
with view Of providing for the yari-
Gus expenses of the city 1t had no
income tax to help out in a pinch and
receipts from other sources were not
nearly as great as they are at the pres
emit time. 1t managed to get along,
keep the home fires burning, and
progressed along the municipal high
way to a considerable extent. People
at that time thought valuation of
$1S,000,000 was lot of money and
they believed that b ten mill tax levy
was just little irksome.
Today Kenosha is city with a prop
erty valuation of more than $40 100000
count 'em It's valuation will prob
ably, this year, be the third largest in
the state of Wisconsin, with only Mil
waukee and Racine valuations exceed
ing it. This vast increase in the value
Of taxable property in the city is going
to yield terrific income. Where the
city had little over 100000 year
to run it ten years ago now it is going
to have considerable over a million to
meet it's requirements.
We have become accustomed to a tax
higher than ten mills We have not
advanced at the rate of mill year
but we have climbed up to the sixteen
mill post and the people make no more
complaint against paying sixteen mills
than they did in paying ten mills. This
year the tax levy of Kenosha at six
teen mills is going to be in excess of
$4,000 and to this must be added an
income tax against corporations and
individuals which will net the city
half million dollars.
Some money.
The increase in the valuation of the
property of the city with the old tax
levy of sixteen mills means and in
crease in the total of the city budget
Of more than $125,000 The increase
in the amount Of the income tax this
year win be in excess Of 100000. This
means that the city for the coming
year, without any change in its tax
problems, will have more than $325,000
than it had last year at the same time.
OF course there have been increased
texpenses. These may be greater than
the entire expenses of the city ten
years ago but it would seem to be
possible to use the pruning knife and
make this vast sum Of money which
the city is collecting this year furnish
something for a sinking fund.
The city is now borrowing money to
meet running expenses but the city is
not broke. 1t is short of ready cash
but it has stored away in it's vaults
hundred thousand dollars Of the best
securities known to the world---Liberty
Loan bonds. 1t is not going to spend
these bonds for running expenses. They
are the anchor of the leeward for the
proverbial rainy day.
Kenosha has a great opportunity this
year. 1t is the "fat year. The year
when the harvest Of taxes is abundant
ly large. There may never be another
year when so much money rolls into
the treasury of the city. There may be
one year when it will be even greater
harvest but the years are coming-the
lean" years, and the city must be
prudent and look ahead to thcm. This
year more than million dollars must
be made to count. The aldermen must
puttinto their work, as city officials,
some of the prudence that they would
put into their own private business.
With the opulency of war time taxa
ton, they should hook up the necessity
of wartime economy. They should
pinch little and save lot in order
to have the city properly taken care
Of With a tax roll sufficient to paw
the entire bonded Indebtedness of the
city they should make full provision
for the retirement of some of the bonds
The old railway debt-the milestone
which has hung about the neck of
Kenosha ever since it became to put
on the airs of city, must be paid off.
Other bond issues would be either re-
tired or reduced The city owes it to
its people to pay these debts when pay
ment is possible. It's a great oppor-
tunity for the administration to render
to the people of the city a service real
ly worth while for the people of Keno
sha today and the people who will
make up Kenosha in the future.
If German people are starving and
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