The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-12-10
City Officials Fail to Find
Basis for Federal Fig
ures On KenOsha.
THEY ARE MISLEADING
Claim Data Does Not Take In
to Consideration Trans
fers of Funds.

| regarding the city of Kenosha as re-
leased by the Department of Com
merce at Washington today, giving 9
per capita cost of government in Ke-
nosha in 1924 at 1920 for maintenance
and operation of general city depart
ments and of $48.49 for all revenue
receipts, drew caustic comment from
| city officials here, who claim they are
unable to find any figures which would
| give a basis for such data.
Taking the audited returns for the
city for the year 1924 and using $4,000
as the population, IT, per capita cost
of maintenance and operation of gen.
eral city departments has been given
out at $16.41 with a total of 1929
when outlay is included. This does
not include the amounts spent for the
support of the schools, which may
possibly have been included in the
government figures through mistake,
Here Are Government Figures.
The statement sent out by the De-
partment of Commerce is given below:
Expenditures.
"The payments for maintenance and
operation of the general departments
of Kenosha, Wis, for the fiscal year
ending December 81, 1924, amounted
to $1,472,488, or $30.12 per capita. In
1923 the comparative per capita for
maintenance and operation of general
departments was $3.50. Payments for
the operation of public service enter
prises (water works. amounted to
S79,378; interest on debt, $116,327;
OUTLAWS for permanent improvements,
including those for public service en-
terprises, $1,294,072. The total pay
ments, therefore, for expenses of gen.
eral departments and public service en-
terprises, interest and OUTLAWS were
So 1862 ,265. The totals include all pay
ments for the year, whether made from
current revenues or from the proceeds
of bond issues.
Revenues.
"The total revenue receipts of Ke-
nosha for 1924 were $2,370,591, or
| $48.49 per capita. This was $702,398
more than the total payments of the
year, exclusive of the payments for
permanent improvements, but $591, 674
less than the total payments including
those for permanent improvements.
These payments in excess of revenue
receipts were met from the proceeds
of debt obligations. Property taxes
represented sos per cent of the total
revenue for 1924, IT'S per cent for
1923, and All per cent for 1918. The
increase in the amount of property
taxes collected was $685. per cent
from 1918 to 1923, but there was de-
crease of 1913 per cent from 1928 to
1924.
Earnings of public service enter
prises operated by the city represent
ed 9.5 per cent of the total revenue for
1924, rs per cent for 1923, and 9.3
per cent for 1918.
Indebtedness.
"The net indebtedness Funded and
floating debt less sinking fund assets)
of Kenosha on December 81, 1924, was
$2,473, 900, or $50.59 per capita. In
| 1923 the per capita debt was $49.38.
and in 1918, S22.62.
Assessed Valuations and Tax Leyies.
"For 1924 the assessed valuation OF
property in Kenosha subject to ad
valorem taxes for city corporation was
| $6O,923, 1872. The levy for all purposes
for 1924 was $1,860,063, of which ST.
474,027, or 1912 per cent, was levied
| for the city corporation; $88,577, OF
4.8 per cent, for the state; and $685.
459, or 1910 per cent, for the county
The per capita tax levy for the city
state and county was $685."
From the figures it may be deduced
that the Department of Commerce
used 48,SS8 as the population figure
for KenoshL for 1924. Estimates
made during the year placed it con-
servatively at $4,000, which has later
been confirmed by the 1925 census.
Chances for Error.
Director of Finance Laughlin made
a careful check-up of city records fol
the year 1924 and claimed that no fig
ures of actual expenditures verified
the ones used by the government. He
stated that the department of com
merce took their figures from reports
fled with the state which oftentimes
included transfers of moneys from one
fund to the other, but which. repre-.
1 scented no actual expenditures.
The officials stated that this may
account for some of the large differ
ences which have appeared in costs OF
government in various cities of Wis.
consin, according to the government
reports and that for this reason com
parsons which have been made in the
pas. have possibly been erroneous.
|