Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-12-04
COMING TAX RATE
CITY OF GARDINER
TELEPHONE 37.W

A citizen who is familiar with and
interested in, all of Gardeners az
fairs. says:
Ono of the knotty problems that
always confronts the city council
d. tne commencement Of a new year
Is tho tax rate. While the taxes are
not assessed until April LIST. the ap-
preparation bill must be prepared in
adv;lnce and TO do this the commits
sioners must have some idea of tho
an'f of property available for
taxation during the year in order
that the rate of taxation NAV he
Kept at the lowest possible figure.
Gardiner. like nearly all other towns
ana cities had an increased tax rate
Tor the year 1918. the increase being
from "a to % mills. We are told
that we may expect a raise of an
other mill at least for the coming
year. These have been war times
aHd the cost of purchased articles
nave Increased 10 the city even as
Inc! nave TO the individual. 1t has
required extremely close and wise
hstnng to make the 81 mills suffice
ami even now it is believed that
mos of the various departments will
SNOW an over expenditure rather
th''n . surplus.
" lille it is true that the year
i'l' gave some expenses that the
year 1918 failed to show, there have
been others arise in 1918 that were
JUS as unavoidable as those of the
previous year The small pox cpl
demt of 1917 cost the city in the vi
cinity Of $4,000. While the influenza
epidemic Of the present year has
been practically Of no expense to the
city, there is the new Bridge street
bridge as an expense that was not
present in 1917. The city must pro-
vide for interest on The bonds and
for the retirement Of $500 worth of
the bonds themselves each year, and
this as an item Of expense will be
even greater than the cost Of the
small poX epidemic.
Again there is the ever present
repair Of bridges that will be fully
as lalce during 1919 as in the present
year. If the assessors in making
their annual rounds on April first can
find any new property which is
available for taxation they will have
TO do considerable sleuthing: indeed,
if they find as much to assess they
will do exceedingly well. From
South Gardiner comes the word that
the numbering industries will con-
tribute n very small amount
of assessable property. both
concerns having no logs to tax.
If n raise in the rate comes again
THO ,,aor favpoycrc yruct Stand If aS
one Of the fortunes Of war; if it does
not and the officials are able to make
the old rate OF q mills suffice, so
much the better
"a comparison of the three con-
tiguous towns Of Farmingdale, Ran
dolph and West Gardiner is Of in
terest In Randolph an exception to
the rule Of raise will be observed.
In 1917 the rate was 26 IL mills
and in 1918 it drops . mills. to "a L.
In Farmingdale the rate for 1918 was
10 IA as against IS ga Of the year
preceding. West Gardiner. which
Joins the city on the west is typical
New England country town. 1t has
no manufacturing interests nor
mercantile concerns Of size. It's
money, unlike Farmingdale and
Randolph, must all come from the
farmers. 1t maintains no light. no
sidewalks, no fire department. no
water service and no sewers. Per-
haps it is for this reason. nothing
to assess but farms and personal
property of farmers. that its tax rate
for the present year is close after
that Of Gardiner, being % mills. an
ire, ease of two mills over 1911.