Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-20
Circulation Every 1A1Gz
Evening Yesterday x4xO(
Managing Municipal Finances.

Mmaxing Municipal Finances.
The management of municipal finances
is now receiving some little attention
in our community, due, no doubt, to The
frank admission of the chairman OF City
Councils finance committee that &
deficit in the city treasury at the close ol
the current fiscal year, On June 80, was
Inevitable. He even estimated the extent
Of tho assured deficit to = cent, and gave
the details, in explanation, and also IN
support of his contention that the total,
q little more than $e1 900, could be
accounted for IN q plausible and natural
nanner, leaving the City Council blame
loss. But Every Evening showed, by
analysis and consideration, that few of
the items SGT forth rs legitimate causes
of the deficit could justly be clnssed as
expenditures not anticipated 1T the time
d making the annual appropriations.
The deficit, therefore, clearly goes to
astab4irh financial mrsnanagement-a
failure to raise, by tAxation, sufficient
money to conduct municipal affairs on a
cash basis throughout the year.
We notice that our contemporary, the
Morning News, is somewhat disturbed
over this situation, and is honoring it with
somewhat serious attention. Every
Evening has discussed municipal mis-
management time and again, IN the past,
but our contemporary could never see
anything TO justify our comments. To
its view the city's affairs were being con-
Quoted 10 businesshke manner, with
results that were beyond criticism. Now,
faced with a plain fact that cannot be
ignored, it ventures upon little criticism
of its own, together wit some suggestions.
"In considering the finances of the
city, says the Morning News, although
the climb in expenses is always taken IN
account, the additional revenue is often
overlooked. Yet this revenue is constantly
increasing, but the problem is to hold
down necessary expenses, so that the
lump in income VIII takr care of the leap
IN expenses. Many cities find this very
hard TO do, for the activities OF city
are much broader than they were years
seo. Those who hsve been conferring on
the situation have also doubtless given
thought to the delinquent taxables. The |
impending deficit would, Of course. not be |
50 large were it not for the delinquents. |
It would be obviously unfair if there |
should be jump in the tax rate and the |
dehnquents were not forced to pay what |
they owe the city"
How very ingenious is this dlsqurntscn, /
but it may be said IT rs true. II certainly |
M to "iump" the tax rate without COM
pelling the delinquents to pay their just
debts to the city. yet this is what the City
Council has been dong for quite awhile.
At least it has fixed tax rates at figure
that might have been somewhat lower
had ample and effective arrangements
been made not only for speedily collecting
the overdue taxes-they amounted to
more than $1,000 several years ago
but for preventing the accumulation of
such undesirable accounts thereafter. In
q word, for collecting each years tax
duplicate during each tax year, to the
ast dollar, saving only such accounts as
might be wiped out by errors, or held in
litigation. The Democratic administra-
ion of Kent county, for several years In
has shown that this can be
lone, and there is no use-or credit,
,ither-in saying the city of Wilmington
;annot do what Kent county finds it
.asily possible to do.
Yet our morning contemporary says
our Council has done very well so far
n meeting the problems that have over
aiken ii, and we hope and believe it will
continue TO do So" If this hope and this
,elief, based on existing condition, should
,e verified, then goodbye TO any proba-
,ihty Of change. The city's financial
will continue In the same
uts of inefficiencv and misrnanagement. |
This matter of overdue taxes is not
ew. 1t has faced each City Council for |
1ore than a score of years and the evil,
nless it has been materially modified very .
ecently. has continued right along. And
OF only did it comprise negligence in the
ayment of tax accounts which should
ave been collected promptly, but in
ne notable instance involved the failure
D pay into the city treasury taxes to
be amount of about $4,000 which had
cen duly collected. To this day the city
as been fat loser to this extent and
nere is hardly probability it will ever :
ecover a dollar. But that is not sur
rising, as there is no visible evidence
nat the City Council ever showed the
ightest intention Of resorting TO legal
'easures for the purpose of averting this
rge loss.
We thoroughly agree with our morning :
however, 10 its conclusion