The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1919-01-02
Taxing Albuquerque for Maintenance of County Government
Needs Vigorous and Effective Legislative Attention

<VyE HAVE known for . long time that Albu.
M guerqur property aud Albuquerque tax
payers WERE maintaining an undue and
unfair proportion Of the eos, q maintenance Of the
Il has remained for City Manager Hcbcusirsit
20 show by a series Of carefully aud thorough.
worked out statements aud charts jus. how unfair
that proportion really Is and how disastrous II has
bren for the fuauces Of this city. Tho city manager,
IN hs analysis of tax production IN city and county,
has been actnatcd solely by a desire 10 ascertain
the facis. lie has bccn able 10 DO his work with
extreme fairness and the result Is therefore Of
greet value. When proceeding 20 the correction Of
a bad state Of government IL Is OF the utmost impor-
tance TO know what il wrong. We are now pretty
well informed rs 10 what Is wrong.
The city managers figures make Il perfectly
plain that the taxable property Of this city bears
every year Approximately eioolOe0 OF expense from
which il receives virtually no return NJ all. This
Asoney goes TO the county for county purposes
alone and IS the balance left after dcdncting what
the county contributes from is taxable property
20 city maintenance being chiefly contributions 70
the city school fund.
No one will argue but that city property. SO
long as Il remains within the county, should con.
tribute its fair share toward maintenance Of the
county government. whether il derives benefits
from the county government or not. IL Il fails a.
derive benefits IN return for is fair proportion NJ
the operating cost that adjustment Is supposed to
be up 90 the voters.
hnt whch thc cttt contributes more Than fts
JUS proportion TO county maintenance a wrong j.
committed and the wrong should be ended rs quick.
~ as possible.
The Herald has not been able 10 find a par.
ticle Of antagonism IN Albuquerque toward Bcrna.
lilo county. There are many who believe the
creation Of he City and County Of Albuquerque
would be the easiest and surcst way out Of the
present unfair situation. But M one refuses 20
Acknowledged that the city Of Albuquerque gets
important benefits from IL tributary territory aud
desires 20 remain IN the closest aud most friendly
relations with that territory. That Albuquerque
does lis full share toward helping its immediate
tributary territory, IN development aud outside Of
the taxing feature, no one can doubt.
This city iuSi now faces a very serious deficit
IN rs municipal treasury. We are forced 10 find a
way out Of that deficit and 20 find sufficient means
for doing for this city what must be done for its
Improvement and development. This necessity has
led 10 the present and first close examination 81 the
taxing relations Of the two governments, the city
and the county.
II Is apparent that IL Albuquerque now had or
WOULD have available during the coming year the
100000 which goes from our tax production 10.
ward county maintenance and from which we yet
no return whatever, that our Treasury difficulty
wound b. over. There also is-thc answer 10 tho
question 80 often asked in the past
Why, with all the municipal taxes levied.
and the city and county taxes paid, does not Al.