San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-11-13
TObIN OPPOSES
SEPARATE TAX
COLLECTION
City and School Board in
Row Over Proposed
Outside Collectors.

= Declaring the proposal to collect
:, back taxes due the independent school
T. district by employing attorneys Other
= than the city attorney was both I'M
= practical and against the best interest
ssof the city, city officials urged the
= school board not to undertake such
q proceedings. The matter was dis
9 cussed at conference called by
= Mayor Tobin, and members Of the
~school board at the mayors office.
= School officials. however, reserved de.
-~cision until the meeting Of the board
next Tuesday.
= Among those present at the confer
- ence were: Mayor Tobin, City At
- torney Joseph Ryan, Tax Commits
sioncr Frank n. Bushick and Presi-
dent Frank S. Haines, John F. Fentl-
s4man. Charles L. Wynne Jr.. W. J..
= Hoefgen, Mrs. G. w. Satterfield and
MRS. 3. s. Eastburn, members of the
!. school board, and Paul Scholz, bust
ssncss manager of the board, and Sup
--erintendent of Schools Marshall John
ston. Mason Williams, attorney for
the board, and r. n. Gresham. asso-
-sciate attorney, also were present.
= TOBIN OPPOSES PLAN.
= Mayor Tobin stated he was of the
-opinion the plan was impracticable
/. and would result in confusion. How
!. ever, he said, all he desired to know
was what the school board was going
to do after it had heard the objections
!. stated by the city attorney and tax
~commissioner as to the impracticabil-
= ity Of the proposed plan. He ex-
pressed hope the board would with
draw its plan and let the city con-
etinue to collect the taxes as the law
isprovided.
Tax Commissioner Bushick emphat-
/. 3cally stated the plan was impracti-
~cable and would bring confusion in
Ibis office. He told of the methods
!. provided by law for the collection of
: taxes for the school by the city. he
} stated the city collected S235,000 back
. taxes last year. On questioning by
. Mason Williams he admitted this fig
8 ure included collection for ten months
sof 1925 also.
Z Il am not going TO allow my rec
:. ords to be balled up by the confusion
{ that viii result if this plan is en-
= forced" Commissioner Bushick de-
clared. Nor allow an army of out
: side clerks and collectors to handle
) funds and crowd my Office
Are not your records public rec
: ords?" asked Mason Williams.
> "Yes," replied Commissioner Bush
lex, ~but ! am not going to allow
delay in public business just TO ac-
: commodate firm of lawyers"
Continuing, Commissioner Bushick
asserted he would not recognize any
settlement that might be made with a
taxpayer that was not according to
law, as he was under heavy bond
for the proper performance Of his du-
ties. FurSher, he declared the pro-
posed plan would har.iss the tax
payers to death, make him mad and
. cause great unpopularity against all
. concerned"
DONE BEFORE.
Questioned By Mason Williams, Com
missioner Bushick stated the total back
taxes, due both the city and the school
district, amounted to approximately
{ 100000.
q -Then the sum of s400, 900 now due
!. the independent school district is more
: than one-haf the total taxes now
: due" remarked Mr.. Williams, to which
-Ar. Bushick replied the record made
: By his office in collecting S235.000 in
back taxes was creditable record and
showed diligence on the p,-rt OF the
city and no discrimination.
= Mr.. Williams. Mr.. Gresham and Mr..
~Fentiman called the attention of Mr..
~Bushick and City Attorney Ryan 10
the fact that the employment of an
s-putside attorney to collect taxes for