The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1918-10-18
JUDGE WADDELL'S MESSAGE
Gentlemen of the County Court;

This being the first Quarterly
Court held since the general election
in August last, is composed of many
new members, who have had little
experience in the administration OF
county affairs and duties devolving
upon them as county officials; and
this court being the medium thru
which, practically, all business of
the county is conducted, and being
the guardian of the interests of its
citizens, as to county affairs, 1t is
advisable, at this term, to place be-
fore you the financial status Of the
county, and the conditions of some
of it's other interests, which we are
called upon to look after, conduct
and administer, both that the citizen
ship of the county may be informed
and that the court, as a whole and
each member respectively, may see
and know these conditions, that they
may advise and take steps necessary
to meet them in a rational way and
| by business methods.
The information l here give you
| is taken from the county records,
and information of our county Off
| Gals, and other reliable data, CLEAN
ed by me during my one months
tenure in Office, and will be found to
be practically correct.
| This county is indebted to the
twelve banks of Obion County, for
borrowed money, evidenced by time
county warrants drawn, due and pay
able this fall, in the amount, prac-
tically, principal and interest, in the
sum of $4,000.
The county is indebted for escheat-
ed funds and certified bills of costs
from the Circuit and Criminal Courts
in the sum of practically $4,000.
There are claims filed to be acted
upon at this term of the court of
about $4,000.
Certain levees are being construct
ed in the county, which, 1 am in
| formed, will cost the county near
100000. Also, there arc other con-
structions, and other work, hereto
| fore ordered by the court, the costs
of which are not now attainable,
which, together with outstanding
unpaid warrants, and the necessary
expenses for the operation of the
county's interests for the rest of this
year, we can safely say will not be
under $4,000. These respective
sums aggregate approximately
$4,000, and there is now in the
hands of the Trustee about $4,000
of the general funds of 1918, with
the prospect of only further income
of two or three hundred dollars dur
ing the incoming quarter, which
amounts will hardly be sufficient to
pay the current expenses during the
next quarter, and, therefore, gentle
the January term, 1919, of this
court, you will be face to face with
an Indebtedness of tho county of not
less than $4,000, and the probabili-
ties are that it may be as much as
$4,000. This means, gentlemen,
that all the general county funds
that will be forthcoming next spring
from taxes, ETC., assessed for the
year 1918, which cannot exceed
$4,000, will not be sufficient to
meet the debt of the county, and
there will be absolutely no funds
with which to meet the county's gen.
eral expenses for 1919, except such
as may be borrowed. This county
is something over one year behind in
it's general county finances; the
funds that will be collected during
next year, which should pay expenses
for that year, will have to be used
in paying the expenses accruing in
1918, and will fall short of this to
some extent. 1t is imperative, gen.
tlemen, that you make arrange
ments, at this term of this court, to
have the Indebtedness, to the banks
above referred to, which will soon be
due and payable, approximately,
about 100000, renewed, and that
you make arrangements to procure
further funds to meet said additional
Indebtedness and expenses of the
county for the present quarter.
The funds raised for public school
purposes, gentlemen, am informed
by your efficient County Superin-
tendent of Public Schools, is in
reasonable healthy condition.
Relative to your public roads,
gentlemen, have heard considerable
complaint as to the sufficiency of
funds to keep them in proper condi-
tion for travel, also of their present
defective condition. In many of the
districts 1 also find much dissatis-
faction aS tn the officioncv of our