The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1927-04-21
TAX RATE INCREASED
TWENTY-FIVE CENTS
Budgte Over $4,000 More Than
Last Observation-Disclosures and
ReaSSeSSment Cause

of County Commissioners Tuesday
night calls for an increase of % cents
on the 500 of assessable property in
the county. The rate for the county
tax for 1927 is S1.99 while the rate for
last year was SLIT. The State tax
rate is 81 11-28 cents per 500.
The budget totals S379,855.83, an
increase of 82,38252 over last year.
The increase is caused by deficiencies
amounting to $4,000, the reassess-
ment of taxable property in the coun-
ty at a cost estimated at $4,000, an
increase in the appropriation for
county schools of S29,317.90, and an
increase of $4,000 for road work over
last year. The public school system
will receive this year 1859, 666.3n
while the road levy totals S55 ,27500.
Added to these proposed expenditures
is $4,000 which will be used in repair
ing the Court House and County
Jail.
Many urgent requests had been
made to the County Commissioners
during the past several weeks for
funds for various necessities throug-
out the county for which many citi-
zens felt there were pressing de-
mands. These included bridges, roads,
repairs to the court house and Jail,
which have been ordered by the Court
and by the grand juries of the county
in their reports for the last several
years, re-assessment of property thru
out the county as required by an Act
of the General Assembly, etc.
Among those necessities most
prominently pressed were funds for
new school buildings, heating plants,
ETC., requesting for funds for which
needs formal requests had been made
of the Commissioners by the Board
of Education of the county.
Among these necessities as pointed
out above were new school buildings
at Dodson-Shallmar, German, Swan
ton, Bloomington and Friendsville.
The requests included funds for heat
ing equipment in the recently con-
structed new school building at Acct
dent and Kitzmiller. The estimated
cost of these five new school buildings
and the two heating plants was placed
at 100000.
The Commissioners stated to each
of the delegates that appeared before
them that the present financial ability
of the tax payers of the county, as
expressed in the present mandatory
county tax rate of S1.99 for the year
! of 1927, large portion of which rate
c wv in, orIo,, 70 !,
laws passed by the General Assembly
of the State, make it absolutely i'm
possible to levy any taxes for school
buildings or heating equipments, all
of which had been forecast in letter
written to the present members of the
General Assembly of Maryland of
1927.
The measure introduced in the re-
cent session of the General Assembly
authorized loan or bond issue of
100000, or as much thereof as may
have been found necessary. The
measure passed the House of Dele
gates but failed in passing the Senate.
While the measure did not provide
for referendum vote thereupon by
the electorate of the county, yet,
under the provisions of The Referen-
dunn Act of 1914, it was pointed out
that 10 per cent of the voters of the
county, or about 395 voters, could
have called by petition the proposed
loan to referendum vote would have
been taken in November, 1928.
The letter referred to by the Com
mlSsioners as having been written to
the present members of the General
| Assembly last March, reads as fol-
lows:
To Garrett County Delegation,
General Assembly of Md. of 1927,
Annapolis, Maryland.
Gentlemen:
| Our attention has been called to an
effort upon the part of the Board of
Education of this county to procure
suitable legislation whereby there
could be Bond Issue of 100000
passed by the General Assembly of
1927 for new school buildings, etc.
In this connection, we would like to
state that the financial condition of
the county at this time is more acute
than what we understand has pre-
viously prevailed and therefore we de-
sire to inform you and the people of
Garrett county that it will be impossi-
BILE for The Board of County Commits
sioners of this county to provide any
funds for new school buildings, equip
ment, heating plants, etc., by direct
levy for the ensuing two years at
least excert in cases of dire extremity
that may result from an act of Provi-
dence or from some similar unforeseen
cause, which would result in an almost
DrOhihitiVa tax rate
Among the reasons for this con-
clusion at which we have arrived after
matured discussion and judgment, we
find already that it will be necessary
for US to provide in the county levy of
April, 1927, funds for the following
large items over and above what were
necessary to levy in April, 1926, for
the general up-keep of the county,
which run approximately as follows:
Amount due County Board of Edu-
cation for deficiencies in previous
levies, $34,009.14; cost of new As
sessment, $10,000.00; repairing Court
House and Jail, $12,000.00.
In addition to the above, it will be