Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-02-15
FINANCES IN BAD SHAPE,
MAYOR TELLS COUNCIL
Says State Has Deprived City OF
S4S0,OOO In Unrcplaccd
liza. Revenues.
PROHIBITION HITS TREASURY
Expected Decrease I'm CouIf and Po-
- lice Expense Docs Not Matcrializc.
sE~ Departments Handicapped by Lack
of F>unds-May Increase Taxes.

: S.sfsor' three hours last night Mayor
" Ainslie addressed members OF the
s. Board OF Aldermen and Common Coun-
u cifS and eXpla med and answered nues-
Z lions concerning the sad state OF city
fnuIces which the new municipal gov
ernmcnt faces at the outset of its ca
rser, 1t was tacitly agreed that after
y the completion of the budget the whole
matter OF finances would he explained
q 70 the citizens at meetings 10 be held
=, Mayor Anslic said that in the last
Jew years the State OF Virginia had
deprived the city OF s4S9.ooo OF rere-
hue and that no action had been taken
10 replace this loss. He declared that
Z advocates Of prohibition had claimed
& that losses in the revenue which for
merry came from saloon licenses would
be, more than made up in the de-
\ grease in the expenses OF running the
Police Department, courts and other
activities which were CHARGED up
3 experience of Richmond had been that
SINCE prohibition became effective the
exIenses of these activities had greatly
increas ed he said. Courts had more
OF the Juvenile Court, which was re-
curing more and more money every
Z year.
'SUGGEST SCHOOL EXPENSE
-.,v..s-y. NOT COME FROM FUND
SMayor Ainslie. in reply to "A sug-
geStion by Alderman Grundy. declared
that he had made up his mind TO rec
3 omfnend that the appropriation for
general fund. thus giving other de:
s'pprtments needed revenues, This
would mean the icvying OF 5-mill
tax for school purposes. under the
pfHvisions of the State constitution,
and aldermen present said that this,
with the regular city tax. would make
an aggregate tax OF s2l5 as opposed
to tho present tax rate Of sl.6a.
The Mayor showed charts demon
strating that. based on las, years reve-
nues; there would he left but s560.459
for. supplies and expenses of all de-
partmeats after paying iiXed charges
and tho payrolls OF schools and de-
partments. This would br more than
taken up by s616.e45 needed for put
they would give the city increased
revenues.
y. He declared that the departmental
budgets had been cut and cut. and yet
these figures stared the new govern
ment in the face. The original est-
mate of the Department OF Public Wei
fare, as an example called for less
money than corresponding depart
ments expended the previous year. The
same was practically true of the De-
.partment of Public Safety.
THINK CITIZENS WILL
S,.rs AGREE TO INCREASE TAN
Aldermen and Councilmcn asked the
Mayor numerous questions and the
whole matter of city finances was de-
,bated. Alderman Fuller seemed to eN
press the opinion OF the majority OF
those present when he declared that
he believed that when the financial
i situation OF the city was explained To
& the citizens they would checrfully ac-
& Qniesce. in an increased tax rate. He
said that the trouble lay in the fact
4 thnt the tax rate was not raised ten
Years ago.
LII was pointed on, that under the
proposed special levy for schools S974.-
600 would he raised. This is about
$4,000 less than the estimate for 1919.
Z, Alderman Pau! declared that he WAS
elected on a platform opposed TO in
creased taxation and he was opposed
to raising the tax rate.