The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-09-10
.RAPS METHOD
 USED ON SEWERS
Special Assessments

The city under the Charter may as- sess 75 per cent of the cost of con structing sewers and all the est of laying sidewalks, curbs and szEters
 During the ten years and nine months ended December 31, 19ae. the city has assessed only 26:S per cent of the total amount expended for sewers.
 The total expenditures for complet- ed sewers during the ten years and nine months ended December 31, 1920 amounted to s!.s45.os2;l1' sI ,of Of Nbeen assessd against benefited prop erty owners.
 Under the Charter the city could have assessed 1,0Os, ,s11.50. There fore the city has lost or wasted S64s,- 642.69.
 There were not included in the above computations twenty-one com pleted sewer projects awaiting assess ment in the office of the Board of Appraisal of Benefits and Damages, amounting to $213,S16.o5.
 Of these projects awaiting acton of the Board of Appraisal Of Beneflts and Damages, one was reported Tn and six> in 1920.
 The special assessments are handled in very lax and shpshod manner. untustly penaizing certain property owners to the beneHt or others.
 On December s1, 1920. there were | uncollected special assenments due the city for sewers, pavenents. stree,s' | curbs. gutters and walks amounting Io | s427, ,112.15.
 The abatements in the ten year and nine months period ended December | 31, 1920, amounted to S97, 7,l4o.oo. The BudIct The budget is based upon est1ma1eo cash receipts instead of upon the es- timated revenues for the year | Due to this fact alone taxpayers have been assessed approxim ately | s3e5,ooo.oo more than is actually nec- essary for the fiscal year ending March 31. 1922.
 | The estimated balance of cash on | hand at the end of the year IS not taken into consideration in preparing ] the budget.
 shape of collectible taxes receivable are not taken into consideration Tn ! preparing the budget.
 Due to the faulty method of pre-
 pairing the budget, the tax rate ars IS are least able to afford it.. No standard forms for departmen- | tal requests are used in connection | Corporate Organization of the City The present form of board and | com mission government in Bridgeport Is anuquated, uneconom1cal ana IT, | responsible.
 | The governmental organization has reached the limit of decentralization The Common Council has been di- vested of all the functions usually eA- | ercised by a legislative body The annual appropriations for the
 support of the various departments | of the government, amounting to al
 most ss,oooooo.0o for 1922. are made | by an independent Mayor-appointed | board not responsible to the elec- | torate.
 ] There are twenty-three independ- ent Boards and Commissions admins l off fofr n | RridgeDort. twenty of which are ap- pointed by the mayor, one elected
 and two practically self-perpetuatng
 Deposit of City Funds The Charter provision requiring the
 deposit of collections by the Collec- tor of Taxes with the Treasurer cy | three o'clock of each business day IS | wholly disregarded. | The deposit of collections by other | collecting officers of the city W1tn t1e l C;tv Treasurer is not made as prompt ly or frequently as good admlnlstra- | ton requires.