Americus times-recorder., 1920-06-21
URGES INCREASE
IN RETURNS TO
SEVEN MILLIONS
To Offer Bill to Alter
Method Of Arbi-
tration

On the eve of his departure for
Atlanta, where he goes Tuesdav af-
ternoon to attend the 1920 session of
the legislature as one of Sun,tar,s
representatives in the general Assem-
bly,, Stephen Pace gave The Times
hecorder an expression of his views
on Ihe subject OF raising additional
FUNDS for defraying the expenses of
che CITY school system, and also for
increasing the general revenue of
the municipality In this interview
Nh Pace expresses himself as oppos-
e. TO the lmposltitn Of any head tax
Tor any purpose, and proposes in
stead that taxable values be increas-
e[.-voluntarily by those citizens
VINO see their duty toward the COM
munliy clearly, while those who fail
10 see their duty should be compell
ed TO raise their assessments. He
proposes certain changes in the COM
position OF boards of tax arbitrators.
and asserts that taxable values here
should be at least seven million dol
lars. With values returned at this
sum, there would be no necessity for
imposing additional taxes or increas-
ing rates, according to Mr. Pace.
and, with this end in view. he saws he
VIII introduce as a substitute for the
proposed head tax measure a bill FIX
ing new method for increasing tax
returns which may be too low as com
pared with actual values. Mr.. Pace's
interview, given this morning at the
request of the Times-Recorder fol
lows:
No Question of Mead
NO one has even questioned the
Iact that an additional ten thousand
dollars is necessary for our schools.
Dut there has arisen great difference
OF opinion as to how we should 90
about raising this sum. Among the
many ways advanced there are three
OF principal importance: First. that
the tax rate be increased two mills
second, that comutation tax of SID
be imposed; and, third, that valua-
tions of property for tax PURPOSES
De increased and equalized Let us
liaAe an examination of each of these
plans:
First, an increase of two mills in
the tax rate: by SO doing we would
hX Che tax rate for the city at TWEEN
ty-two dollars per thousand, a figure
which alone would discourage any
enterprise or prospective citizen from
coming here and would be the worst
advertisement the city could have
such action might just as well be
immediately followed by abolishine
| the Chamber of Commerce and other
civic organizations. Just twelve
months ago, at the earnest request of
the mayor and city council, / intro
duced and secured the passage of a
bill IN the General Assembly lncreas-
ing our tax rate five mills, or five
dollars per thousand; | consented to
do this for the sole reason that the
floating Indebtedness of the city had
increased to one hundred and nine
thousand dollars, or just one hundred
| thousand dollars more than allowed
! by law, and realized that this in
uebtedness had to be paid and paid
| quickly or else have the stigma of a
| detaulter attached to the name of
our city; this increase to last for five
/ years. But before this bill became
a law the Board of Education had
the mayor and council to agree to
give the schools of the five mills
as they were greatly in need of
money. By this law the rate was
increased to twenty mills. This, /
believe, is high enough, and it would
be disastrous to the best interest and
future prosperity of Americus to
make it more.
Other Cities and Figures.
Being greatly interested in this
subject, have taken occasion to
write the officials of several of the
cities of the state, mostly about the
size of Americus, as to their tax
rates and property valuations, and
from the information thus obtained I
find the following:
Total re-
turns for
Tax rate taxation
Americus 20 mills 5 4,500,00O.O0