The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-08-12
Increase This Year VIII Be Be-
tween 6 and z Per Cent.
Amount Is Small as Compared
With Other Cities.
BUDGETS BEING MADE UP
Total of $2sO,OO0 Needed For
Paving Program.
Special Funds Need More Money
to Enlarge Work.

City taxes for 1921 will be increased
from to 7 per cent, according to an-
nouncement today by f. L. Stevens,
city finance commissioner. Altho the
tax levy must be raised this year, the
increase is slight in comparison with
increases in other cities in the county
and in the state, Stevens said
The budget for city expenses for the
coming year has been under consid-
Grafton by the city commissioners for
many weeks. In the last week con-
were necessary to complete work on
the budget and reach an agreement on
the amount of. increase in the tax levy
necessary.
Much Paving Under Construction.
| One of the principal reasons for the
| increase in tax levy is the paving be-
| ing done this year, the largest amount
in any one year in the history of the
| city. Approximately S2S0,000 is re-
quired to carry out the present paving
program. The next largest amount of
paving ever done in Topeka's history
was in 1916, when the city spent $234,-
600 for that purpose.
An increase of nearly $4,000 in the
appropriation for the free public Ii
brary is another increased expense the
| city budget must allow. Last year the
library was given $3.50, while the
new appropriation will give the library
$10.691. The increase is the result
of request for more money for the
library made by the library board sew
eral weeks ago before the city COM
mission. The board pointed out at the
| time it urged the increase that the
| city was spending only a little more
than $500 for books and periodicals
| in the library, and that the salaries of
the library employees were pitifully
small. The library board asked for
| from 1000 to SIS, 900, but the over
| taxed city treasury would not allow
the entire increase asked, Stevens said.
| Increase to Health Department.
! Another appropriation of much In
terest that concerns public welfare is
| that for the public health nursing as
ISOLATION. which will receive $14.254 in
| the new budget a substantial increase
over last years appropriation of $1Z,-
| 268. The nursing association is be-
| coming so highly valuable 70 the COM
muntty that the commission would like
to have made it's appropriation even
| larger, Stevens said. The increase all
lowed the nursing association is the
result of careful planning by some of
| the department hea DIS to curtail their
expenses to throw any surplus into the
funds of the nursing association.
| Commissioner McGiffert deserves
much credit for cutting the expenses
| of his department budget for the bene-
| fit of the nursing association" Stevens
said. His budget is asking for con-
siderably less than he asked last year,
for that reason. Commissioner stan
| field also has reduced the total of his
budget. His special lighting fund is
lower than previously because he was
anxious to promote important city ex-
penses outside his department"
Levy Cannot Exceed Six Mills.
The city levy for general purposes
cannot exceed mills. The increase in
taxes will come in levy for special
| funds. More than $427, 900 will come
/ into the city treasury on the mill
levy for general funds.
| I'VE are delighted that we have to
make no larger increase in the city
tax levy" Mayor Corwine commented
today I'VE expected that the increase
would be larger, but have managed
to hold down the increase thru much
planning In comparison with other
cities. with the county and state. the
city tax increase is very slight. I un-
derstand that the state taxes are to
be increased from so to 60 per cent"
Budgets Higher Than Last Year.
With two or three exceptions the
budget totals for the various city de-
partments are higher than last year,
Stevens said. The police and fire de-
partment budgets are considerably
higher than heretofore.
The annual budget, usually COM
plete before this date in August has
required much more study than Gus
tomarily. to meet the greatly increased
demands due to many city improve
| menst not previously included. The
bulge is not officially approved, but
probably will nave formal passage at
the commission meeting next week.