The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-03-06
COUNTIES BONDED
FOR 80 MILLIONS
FERGUS COUNTY HAS LARGEST
INDEBTEDNESS OF MON
TANA COUNTIES
Has Total Debt of $2,315,754, While
Cascade is Second With ST 1864, 757
and Lake County, Brand New, Has
No Indebtedness.

Total bonded and warrant indebt
edness of the counties of Montana at
the close of the last fiscal year was
S%O,770,114, according to a compila-
ton made by the state board of
equalization. 1t is pointed out that
taxes which the residents of the 81
counties, which have bonded or war
rant Indebtedness must pay must ex-
coed current expenses of county and
municipal governments by a margin
large enough to at least pay interest
on this debt and to eventually retire
the debt.
Lake county, newly created, is the
only one of the states subdivisions
which does not have both warrant
and bond debts. Lake county re-
ported neither.
The debt of more than $50, 100000
is that incurred exclusively in the
name of the several counties-not in
Guiding the debts of incorporated mu-
inequalities, the total for which is not
available but undoubtedly runs into
additional millions.
Fergus county has the largest debt
of the 54 counties having debts, Fer
gus, on the date reporting, owed
$4~43,754.82 on outstanding warrants
and it had $1,872,0O0 in outstanding
bonds, a total debt of $2,~315,754.S2.
Cascade county is second in rank
in the size of its paper obligations,
having 1,649,000 in bonds and SIS
1916 in warrants, Or a total of ST.
6~64,757.36. Next comes Silver Bow
with $1,464, $3.50 as a total debt of
which $1,13S,000 is represented in
bonds and $326,536.59 in warrants.
The three counties which lead in the
amount of their debt, however, have
large assessment valuation totals to
be taxed for the retirement of these
obligations, Fergus having total val +
uation of $70,155,063; Cascade hav-
ing $40, 565,430, and Silver Bow,
Sis, 977,151. Il
The fourth county in the amount c
of debt, however, is Musselshell, /
which has $1,167,64S.39 of bonds a
outstanding, $145,3O8.O3 in warrants ]
and a total assessed valuation of only 4
$17,447,108, according to the state +
boards figures.
A glance at the table of outstand- :
ing warrants, bonds and the valua- n
ton totals shows that the debt of the \
three first named counties is in ratio Il
considerably less than many of the
smaller counties which have debts |
almost as large in dollars and cents 1
and at the same time have total ass
essment valuations only f~ractionally Y
as large.
Beaverhead county is in a class by
itself so far as Indebtedness is CON-
cerned, having an assessable value
Of $~23,374,092 and a total debt of A
only ~$19,92S.45, of which $13,50O is
the form of bonds and $6,42S.41
warrants.
Next to Beaverhead in the ranking
If counties with reference to the
;mallness of their debt comes Treas
ire county, which has $S5, 600 worth
If bonds and $17.85 in outstanding
warrants. Treasure county, however,
has a small assessment valuation, /;
Sc, 662 ,036. In this order, next comes !
Powder River, which has $8,925,210 ,
a~ssessable valuation and a debt !
If $129,842.22, of which $4,000 is J
n bonds and $~52,842.22 is in war
1
The debt of some of the represen- s
alive counties, and the valuation to-
ais, is as follows: pa
M~issoula, total debt $935,551.77, II
# which $%889,100 is in bonds and ~
.46, 451.77 is in warrants. It's total s
aluation is $~49,483,664. Pc
Yellowstone total debt $848 ,244.32 III
f which $834,00O is in bonds and Ia
IA, PA 80 is in warrants. A valua- Or
on total of $74,874,879. Pa
Hill county, a total debt of $685. int
72.89 of which 1861, 900 is in bonds FIR
nd. $6,272.89 is in warrants. A icl
aluation of s33,861,523
Custer county, a total debt of sci
63~0 ,644.72, of which $615, 900 is in gu
1nds and ~$15,644.72 in warrants. the
otal valuation, $27,959.697. COZ
Lewis and Clark county, total debt D.
$627,197.54, of which $615, 900 is ito
bonds and $12,197.54 is in war an,
.nts. This county has a total as mai
.ssed valuation of SCI, 787,537. TIL
Park county, a total debt of $491,- ers
So of which $489,O0O is in bonds wri
Id $2,655 is in warrants. A total as
of $31,322,831. car
Gallatin county, total debt, s697,- tru
1886 of which $695,00O is in bonds hhaN
Id $2,849.S6 is in warrants. A total car
-luation of S46,846,305. hay
any
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