Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1921-01-20
CALL CITY SCHOOL
ELECTION ON BOND
ISSUE FOR JAN. II
Question For Voters: Shall
City Debt Limit Be In
creased at Present or Re-
trenchment Program Fol-
lowed.

l0WeQ.
The secretary of the city school
board gives notice elsewhere that on
Thursday, January 27, there will be
an election held at the city council
rooms, at which all legal voters Of the
to determine whether the city OF
jamestown J shall increase it's limit OF
Indebtedness an additional five per
cent. The election will open at 1 o.
clock and close at S O'Clock p. III. of
the said day, Thursday Jan. 27.
Hhere will be no voting at this
election in the different wards but all
the voting will be done at the city
|hall.
The matter is an important one to
the tax payers of jamestown. Ii it is
decided to increase the debt limit, an
additional five per cent, it will raise
la fund for the school board nearly
half million dollars.
The assessed valuation O fthe city
lis now $4,000. .083. Five per cent
10 fthis amount is $245, 5,454.15. II an
additional five per cent is voted by
raised will be$490,9 0,9OS.00.
The present school debt consists
approximately of $4,000 in bonds
and $4,000 of a floating debt The
current school funds are now depict
ed largely OH account of the EG411Day-
! lhent of the 1920 taxes, it is said, and
the local banks are paying school
warrants to be repaid later with in
terest. II there was no debt the
board could raise on the present val
uation the sum of $245, 5,454.l5 by
bonding the city for five per cent of
the valuation, without holding any e.
lection
1t an additional five per cent is vo-
ted for a bond issue, the sum of
$490,908 will be available, from
which must be deducted at least
S115,000 for old Indebtedness, and
outstanding warrants, before any
money can be used for new school
building. This will give the board
$575,90S to spend for building and
increase the city's Indebtedness $780,
908.
The money levied for the school by
the annual tax levy of 1920 was 500,
600 for the current school year. All
of this and more has been or will
have been spent by the schools, at
the end of the school year, in addi-
tion to that may be had from the
state estimated at least $4,000.
This year, or in July 1921, another
tax levy of at least 100000 and
probably $4,000 will be made for
running expenses of the schools for
the ensuing year, and this sum will
be in addition to any money that may
be raised by bond issues.
OF the $4,000 of school expenses
for the year ending June 80, 1920, it
is fair to state that $33,640 was used
for a new building, but there will be
no new building money taken from
the school fund for the current year.
Judging from the cost last year of
running the schools, the increase in
teachers and janitors' salaries and
other operating expenses, since the
last estimate was made for the
schools it is now seen that the cost
of running the schools for the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1921. will be
about $125,000, outside of any new
building expense that may be incur
red.
So the taxpayers are confronted
with these alternatives: either to in
crease the city's Indebtedness, or
keep within the present debt limit,
and build a less expensive school
house with the money available; or
reduce the cost of running the schools
to a point within the present re-
sources of the city without incur
ring additional debt. :
Each of these alternatives has ad-
vocates and supporters.
The question with many is, will it
be more advisable. at this time of
high taxation, to increase the cost
OF running the schools, or to reduce
the school expenses, which it is be-
lieved can be done, and build what
additional school rooms can be had
with the money available, postpon-
ing the more expensive school build
ing until a time when building costs
are at a more reasonable figure. This
question will have to be decided by
the voters themselves January 81.
Many believe that it is time for
retrenchment and economy in all
public expenditures. = A start must be
made sometime and some place and
the schools as we'll as the other
public institutions of the state should
bear their share.
Some others favor a continuation
of the present high cost. and the