The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-29
PROTESTS LODGED
 WITH LEG|SL.A .ATORS AGAINST TAX PLAN
Commission Sends Open Let ter Asking Readjustments
 Of Present System

Paving out s6000, 900 and not get ting any of 1t back has stuck in the chests of Birmingham city officials and refuses to be digested. Saturday morning President D. F. McLendon, Commissioner w. l.. Harrison and City Attorney w. J. Wynn conferred for an hour analysing the tax system in operation in Jefferson county as it affects the city's interest. The re- suit of the conference was an open letter being published which the of ficials have sent to the members of the Jefferson county delegation in the legislature.
 Mir. McLendon said that one feature of the matter that should be read justed is the burden placed on the city of Birmingham in the highway bond issue, the city raising aproXt- mately a fourth of the money, yet none of 1t being spent within the city limits.
 Of the $25,OOO, 900 Birmingham will have to put up S6,0O0,O00. Not a penny of this goes to Birmingham city streets, yet many of these streets are parts of state highways. Jeffer- son county alone, MT McLendon said, will have to put up $10,0O0 ,0OO of the fund for the whole state, two fifths furnish about 60 per cent of this 100000
 Letter To Legislators.
 The Birmingham city commission sent the following letter to each member of the Jefferson count dele gation in the legislature;
 Dear Sir: In this regard permit me very briefly to call your attention to the following points:
 LEST WE FORGET"
 1. Remember that of every $3 in taxes in Jefferson county, $2 come from the tax payers of the city of Birmingham.
 2. Remember that the taxpayers of the city of Birmingham pay two thirds of all the taxes raised in Jef' ferson county for building and main taining roads.
 8. Remember that the taxpayers of thirds of all the operating expenses and costs of Jefferson county.
 1. Remember that of the 15-cent county road tax the citizens of Bir- mingham pay s216,00o, while the out side county pays only $144000. Of gets back not only penny.
 .. Remember that of the ten cent county road tax the residents of the city of Birmingham pay $144,000 while those outside the city pay S96,00O; that the law requires the
 
 one-half the amount paid from the city of Birmingham, but that the county has disregarded this law, has inappropriate this fund and still owes the city of Birmingham its one half of the ten-cent tax paid in from the city for the years 1920 and 1922 being approximately S216,000
 6. Remember that if the law re- quiring the board of revenue to main- tain the east and west and north and south highways should be reappealed, the board of revenue should at least be required to return to the city of Birmingham an amount equal to one half of the 15-cent county road tax paid on the property within Btr- mingham, in lieu of the maintenance of said highways.
 '. Remember in considering the question of taxing tha city with court costs in failed cases in the criminal court that the city of Bir- mingham is already contributing two-thirdS of the total expenses of this court, as well as all the other courts of Jefferson county.
 &. Remember in considering the taxing of costs in criminal cases that our supreme court has said that 1t Is contrary to public policy that municipal corporation should be taxed with such costs.
 g. Remember that a law requiring the city to pay court costs In these criminal cases would be the greatest blow to law enforcement
 10. Remember that of the county bond issues, aggregating several mil lion dollars, the city of Birmingham pays tWo-thirds of the total and receives only a paltry return in few joint county-city road projects.
 Il. Remember that of the twenty five million dollar highway bond ls- sue Jefferson county will have to re- pay ten million dollars. On the pres ent property valuation Birmingham will have to repay two -thifds of that ten million, while Birmingham cannot