Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-12
Circulation Every 1A10O
Evening Yesterday X4lOS
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY IL, 1920.
City Councils Expected Deficit.

lily 0OUnCllS Expected DeHClt.
Very interesting, but hardly conclu
sive, was the explanation recently givel
by Chairman Forwood of City Council
finance committee of the deficit the city Ii
sure to incur in the financial operations o
the current fiscal year. This deficit b,
carefully estimated at a total of SCI ,0f5.St
and he gave details, as follows: Decrease
in revenue of Municipal Court from fines
$4,000. bills for fighting the inhuenzs
epidemic of 1918, So, 1854; interest on
bonds, Sl7,75O; printing and certifying
bonds, sl,426.9l: advertising sale OF
bonds, s4O0; appropriation for Armistice
Day celebration, 5000: expenditure for
municipal Christmas tree, $500: adj
dressograph for tax office, $500; two adj
1itional clerks for tax Office, 5000.
That these items are sufficient as an
explanation foi the deficit will be ac-
knowledged. but only by reason of the
fact that they arc expenditures which
we're not taken into consideration when
The appropriation ordinance for the year
was passed Why they were not consider
ed and duly provided for is another mat
ter.
Certainly it cannot be contended that
he item of the influenza bills wasone not
contemplation in ample time to have
been provided for. These bills were in
CURED in the fight against the terrible
visitation Of the fall of 1918, and Council
should have provided for their payment
immediately thereafter, by extraordinary
appropriation. Instead, it repudiated
them, refusing to acknowledge any liabil-
itv. Nor did il raise hand TO help the
Board Of Health in that terrible conflict
with deadly epidemic.
Nor does it seem clear that the items
in respect of the bond issue could not have
been foreseen; or that the purchase of an
addressograph should not have been an
tenn covered by the appropriation Tor
Incidental and miscellaneous expenses.
The two additional clerks for the tax
office should also have been considered
IN time to make allowance for their sala-
ries. The deficit in local court fines also
was foreshadowed by prohibition, which
practically cut off drunkenness, although
other and more serious offendings show an
Increase.
The fact Of the matter is, this expected
deficit was deliberately invited by City
Council in making financial provisions for
the current fiscal year. The items that
are set forth as having occasioned the
deficit are not such as could not have
easily been foreseen and provided for. |
They are not unexpected items, but ignor- |
ed items.
Nor does the fact that they equal the |
exact amount Of the estimated deficit |
mean that the deficit viii stop at these |
figures. There is probability of large
increase in the actual deficit that will be
shown on the books at the close of the
years business on June 30. The widening
of Ninth street frop Market to King will
be an item not contemplated when the ap-
preparations are made, and with the al
owance of $4,000 in damages to the
Savings Fund Society is likely to cost
about 100000. This cost, however, may
,e legitimately met by an extraordinary
appropriation, 70 be covered in making
he appropriations for the next fiscal
year.
The truth is there is no reason, and
,o law, for City Council incurring dollar
4 floating indebtedness, in any fiscal !
rear, except for such emergencies as the
of Ninth street, which are amply I
covered by the provision for extraordinary | !
appropriations. The City Council, in I
making arrangements for the current
seal year, simply failed to meet its full 4
uty. City Councils have failed on | {
o many previous occasions. a
II is no trouble to make the fiscal ar 2
angements for municipal administra- a
ion without opening the way TO a deficit @
he Council has full information at hand. J e
t knows the tota' of the assessments; it
as a fair knowledge Of the revenue to be
erlved from other sources than taxation t
real estate: it knows the total of the a
it makes for the year. And i
ith this knowledge it knows exactly what s
TX rate viii be necessary to bring the
ssured revenues to q point where they
I'LL amply cover all arranged-for ex-
enditures. When it lays an insufficient !,
TX rate it fails TO do its duty and de-
oerately invites a deficit. No excuses
i'll serve to hide this failure.