The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1920-11-26
JUSTICES. LEVY.
SIX CENTS MORE
THAN IS NEEDED
EXCESS OF THAT AMOUNT is UN.
INTENTIONALLY PLACED IN
THE SCHOOL FUND.
INFORMATION WAS NOT SOUGHT
Error Said to Have Been Due to Fact
That Neither Members Of Commit
tee Of the Caucus Asked Officials
for the Facts.
lFrom Fridays Daily Herald

lFrom Fridays Daily Herald)
II develops that the tax rate levied
by the quarterly court al the adjourn,
cd special session on last Monday was
six cents for schools in excess of
what the court intended to levy or
what it had been estimated was neces-
sary, TO be levied. This levy would
raise about $4,000 more than the bud,
get that had been tentatively agreed
upon for the schools.
The error or mistake came about
in this manner: The state levy of
tweifty.six cents was increased to
thirty two cents. the justices being un-
der the impression that the state levy
did not embrace the levy made by the
Legislature for elementary schools and
very little of which comes to counties
like Maury with an eight months
term. As Il matter Of fact the state
levy of s26 cents does include this so.
called "big brother" levy for elemen-
tary schools, the state levy of 26 cents
being made up as follows;
State proper, 1i3s cents; state high
way, Az cents: University of Tennes.
see 2 cents; elementary schools, !
cents. Total 26 cents
The members of the court were OF
the impression that they had to levy
this s..x cents state tax for schools,
none Of which would come to the coun,
ty. Under the old law the state did
levy a fifteen cent tax for schools but
all of 1t remained in the county. 1t
was originally intended to levy a
school tax of 20 cents, but this was
later cut to Is cents :...
Tt develops from investigation made
by The Herald that when the tax levy
committee met a month ago and
agreed upon a rate neither the county
Judge, the county clerk, the trustee
or the county superintendent was
summoned to give information. 1t
also appears that Oh the day that the
court met for the special session.
Monday. Nov s. and adjourned imme-
diately. a caucus of the majority of
the court. which included three mem.
bers Of the tax levy committee, was
held at the Maury National Bank. This
caucus was made up of the Justices
known as the good roads advocates
or supporters of the bond issues. The
caucus changed the rate of the tax
levy committee in three or four par
ticulars but did not change the unnec-
essary six per cent levy made for
state schools. So far as known none
of the county officials mentioned above
attended this caucus or were asked to
furnish any information.
In the long discussion over the tax
rate Al lne SESSION Oh lne court On
Monday it appeared that all the mem,
bers were under the impression that
the six cent state levy for schools
would all go into the state treasury at
Nashville, when as a matter OF fact
the state school levy was fully covered
in the state levy of 26 cents.
Work has already begun on the tax
books which is now two or three
months behind II has been suggest
cd that when the court meets in Janu-
airy 1t can transfer the surplus school
levy to the county fund proper, which
under the levy of 20 cents made by the
court will have deficit of $4,000, il
is estimated