New Britain herald., 1928-07-17
LEASH 0N SCHOOLS FOR CITY CHARTER
Mayor to Propose Change to
 Control Expenditures
MAY SEVER RELATIONS
Possibility of Forcing Educators to Set up Autonomy and Levying Own Tax Considered, PaOne>sa Tells Members of Council.

Mayor Paonessa. told members of the common council at conference in his office last night that he in- tends to sponsor change in the city charter by which the council will have control over school committee i dated school district to levy its own tax and handle its finances indepen- dent of the council. The latter scheme. he explained. would remove ! from the council the necessity of making an appropriation. the dis control
 Chairman Hall of the finance board turned the councils attention 10 school expenses and the proposed 1 one-fif'h of one mill tax to secure funds for school repairs. He ex- carry through the repair program on the present appropriation since it was cut about s2o,ooo by the finance board and the common council. In his expressed opinion it is good economy 10 make the repairs this inss to the elements for another year.
 Alderman Walter R. Falk asked if the expense of repair had been anticipated and Chairman Hall an- swered that it had been reported in [ Hotail hn made up.
 ''The trouble with the school board is that it is continually rum ming wild on expenses. We don't get their bills yet we must take the blame for what they spend. and we don't know what the money is going for. They keep us in the dark. then send in for big sum-" Councilman Samuel Sablotskl declared in open ing criticism of the committee.
 shortage of &4S.9S7
 Returning to discussion of school expenses. Chairman Hall advised there is shortage of &4S,9S7.04 in the new buildings account, including the cost of completing work on the Israel Putnam school and paying outstanding bills on the Benjamin Franklin school To meet these costs the finance board will propose tha' a bond issue of $5o,ooO be combin. ed with the issue which WI pay for a Senior High school building when a type of building is agreed upon.
 Councilman William F. Huber ot the first ward, expressing a convic- tion that school costs are entirely too great. asked what steps have been taken to curb future eXcesse. in expenditures.
 Future Oycleirafts Banned Senator Hall explained that sepa- rate funds will be set up hereafter for each job and that no overdrafts Of these funds will be permitted ex- cept by approval of the finance board and the common council. He explained that the city actually made profit on the Putnam school fire yet the funds were diverted to other uses' and there are none to complete the job. Money not spe. officially appropriated has been used to purchase sites and for other pur- poses, he said, and the result has been that money was not available to complete the jobs which were in view at the time bonds were issued. | Alderman J. Gustave Johnson in- quired whether it would be possible to avoid the extra tax and include 1 the repair costs in the next bond issue. but Senator Hall answered that repairs moneys cannot be ob- tained through bond issue under the state statutes
 Tt perfect joke. this business of juggling school finances the alder- man commented.
 Councilman Sablotsky criticized the school committee for engaging the Warren H. Holmes Powers Co.,. Lansing. Mich, architects to prepare plans for the proposed senior High school addition, declaring in favor Of local architects. Senator Hall an- swered that his move had bocn made in the interests of economy pointing out that under local archi- tects, the school board had not been able to build within their estimates with one possible exception and that the western firm had brought school costs down.