Evening star., 1929-06-09
CITIZENS TO STUDY
{5O,64O,235 BUDGET
URGED FOR DISTRICT
Figure S2,64O,OO0 Higher
Than Amount Fixed Tenta-
lively by Commissioners.
REPORT is PREPARED
BY GROUP PRESIDENT
DR.. Havenner Predicates Total on
Increase in Government Lump
Sum Appropriation.

A municipal budget of s50.64o,235
will be considered by the Citizens Ad-
visory Council when it meets in the
District Building tomorrow night to
prepare budget recommendations for
the Commissioners.
The figure. which is $3.50. 900 higher
than the amount tentatively fixed by
the Commissioners, is suggested in a
report drawn up by DR.. George G.
Havenner, president Of the Federation
Of Citizens Associations and chairman
of the council, who has just completed
an exhaustive study of the detailed
financial estimates of the various mu-
nicipal departments.
Based on S1.70 Tax Rate.
DR.. Havenner's budget total is pred
icated on continuance of the existing
$l.70 tax rate, and an increase In the
Federal Governments annual lump sum
of $9,000,000 contribution toward the
expenses of the District. The addi-
tional amount which the United States
trict's expenses is not set forth in the
report, however, but DR.. Havenner Is
expected to request the council to stipu-
late a definite figure.
Although Dr. Havenner's total is
considerably higher than the amount
the Commissioners have under con-
sideration, the council president points
out that there will be no necessity to
raise the tax levy to support budget
I,a mi uyil1
necessary to use entirely the surplus
revenue to the credit of the District in
the Federal Treasury. DR.. Havenner.
however, contemplates the use OF more
of the accumulated surplus than do
the Commissioners.
"The revenue available In 1881.
coupled with the use of the surplus.
Dr. Havenner said, will be sufnc1ent
to support a budget of more than $780,
900 for sewers and the same amount
the surplus fund. I have drawn my
budget report with view to leaving
leeway for supplemental items"
Increases by Departments.
Increased funds over those recon-
mended last year for the public schools,
highways sewers, street lights, the trees
and parkings department and the penal
institutions are urged in DR.. Haven
tain an item for the proposed municipal
airport, since Congress has not enacted
legislation authorizing its establish
ment.
The increases recommended include
81 ,460, 900 for the public schools, $780,
900 for sewers and the same amount
for highways, and $4,000 for street
lighting. Additional funds also are
asked to enlarge the personnel of the
penal institutions and for the erection
of a new ward building at the CAL
linger Municipal Hospital.
The Havenner budget also contains
an item of $275,000 for elimination Of
the Michigan avenue grade crossing,
which the Commissioners intended to
put off until the 1882 budget: $4,000
for the erection of station house for
the proposed fifteenth police precinct,
$3.50, 900 for beginning the construction
of two high-presSure incinerators for
the disposal of combustible refuse,
S115,000 for the erection Of a branch
public library in Northeast Washington
and $35, 900 for the purchase of a site
for another branch library in George
town, $4,000,000 for the municipal CEN
ter and $4,000 for the erection of q
public convenience station at Nichols
avenue and Good Hope road southeast.
UVuiu NHaHke IaV1nk move.
In connection with the increase for
the highway department DR.. Havenner
urges that its estimates hereafter in
clude items for sidewalks and roadways
in the grounds of the Districts insti-
tutions. These items now form a part
of the estimates of the various institu-
tlons and the council president believes
all OF the paving items should be
handled by the highway department.
In preparing the municipal budget
the Commissioners have promised to
give serious consideration to the recon-
mendations of the council as we'll as
those to be submitted by the Washing
ton Chamber of Comerce and the Board
of Trade which also have been Studying
the departmental estimates.
The finance committee of the cham
Der, which has studied the budgetry
estimates for that organization, already
has announced it found five weak
nesses" in the present budget system.
These were named as the failure to
give the total Of all requests for ap-
preparations by various departments,
failure to furnish estimates for func-
lions such as police and fire instead
OF by bureaus and divisions, failure
to issue estimate figures until the week
before the time for filing comment
thereon, failure to include the salaries
OF all officials in the department In
which they work and failure to prepare
nVe-year program estimates In the
same manner as the 1881 budget 80
as to permit comparison of costs on
various items for each year.
without commenting on the commit
tees five points of weakness" in the
budget system. District officials indi-
Gated they were favorably inclined to-
ward modernization of the budget
structure. but pointed out that the
present set-up is decreed by law and
must follow the language In the preced.
Ing appropriation acts.
A set-up along functional lines such
as is used by the Census Bureau and
a number of municipal governments.
which would corelate with present
bookkeeping and accounting systems. it
was said, should be adopted.
Donovan Used Set-Up,
Maj. Daniel j. Donovan, District
auditor and budget officer, used sub
stantially such set-up in his five-year
nnancial program In which the various
were classified. These classifications
we're general government, protection of
life and property, health and santa
lion, highways, public welfare, educa-
ton. recreation, miscellaneous, public
service enterprises and retirement and
disability fund liability.
Inc present budget making system
1eslgnateS each department independ-
entity. The Police Department, for in
stance. has separate classification
from the Fire Department. under Dono-
vans financial program. however, both
y y these departments are grouped under