Milford chronicle., 1931-01-16

butors to the public schools for thir.
teen years. Immediately following
| have suggestions to offer, whereby
a part of the above mentioned sur
: plus can be so used that all citizens
who are now assessed for public
education-and these include prop
erty owners in special school dis
tricts and those with taxable in
comes-may benefit by an equal
rate of reduction in the school tax
they pay. .-.-.
School Bonds of the City of VII.
mingtOn and Special School
Districts
Wilmington and thirty-five spe-
cial school districts in the State owe
$2,467,884.51 for new buildings.
These obligations were incurred by
the issuance of serial bonds, and the
money needed to pay the interest
and retire them as they become due
is raised through a property tax;
the rates of assessment varying
from five to forty-1ve cents. In my
judgment the surplus in the school
fund warrants an act authorizing
the state treasurer to pay from
monies in it, the sums necessary to
redeem all district school bonds ma
turing within the next two years. |
This will permit of slightly more
than a 500 cut in each districts |
school tax. 1t is safe to predict, |
should this policy be adopted, that |
the State will hereafter care for the |
of this class of school /
bonds issues, and I respectfully
suggest that any other districts is
suing school bonds within the next
two years, insert provision in
heir bond statutes that fixes the
irst redemption date at a time after
June 30, 1888. ':--
State Income Tax Law
The tax commissioners office is
10 efficiently organized and the bus
ness, so capably administered, that
he revenue now collected for school
purposes from income and franchise
axes is in excess of actual needs.
n 1929 each of these revenue laws
vas amended in favor of the tax
aver and. to further reduce the bur-
en- that has been patiently carried
Or a number of years by some of
ur citizens, L recommend that the
tate income tax law be again
mended, this time to allow begin !
ing with the year 1880 a 500 re- ]
ate in the amount of tax any citi- J
IN may owe on his or her income, ]
at the rates now in effect. |
To reassure you that the school [
ind will not be endangered by this Y
lange in the law, l need only to di- i
,ct your attention to the governors s
ldget which under the existing S
ties, shows the estimated surplus t
of July 1, 1888 to be in excess of C
100000, f
Highway Department s
The foremost achievement of the
ghway, Department within the
st two years has been its ability to Il
ance its 1880 construction work II
I'M current income alone. The real G,
port of this is NOR apparent when N
is understood to mean that the d;
Instruction program can be con- ii
ued at the present rate without II
uing more bonds. In brief, the s;
ghway Department is permanent 81
on a 'pay as you go" basis, or at p,
st is SO long as it continues to tb
managed and operated in strict sc
business manner. sa
The departments financial posi- he
4 is now such that it may be de- ca
we'd of the right it has held since
inception, to issue bonds with CO
express authority from the Leg f.
lture. Furthermore, if its pres Il;
bonded debt can be further re- he
ed by a million dollars from the ~, y1
eral fund, as earlier suggested, a
onsider it safe to recommend wl
t the fees for all classes of Ii ~
ses to operate motor vehicles be
uced from $500 to $500. This SCI SCI
permit of an annual saving of tn' I'll
100000 to our citi- III! Ill:
5 and offers the largest returns W.
an Investment of this part of the m Int
plus, it will be possible to find. au
he advantage and desirability of wv
| highways for reducing acci- me ne
Is and to facilitate the move eul
It of traffic on our heavily tray eac
arteries has been successfully ore
onstrated by a years use of the are s
n-mile section between St. luI
rges and State Road Station. In sen
two remaining years as a MEM tni
of the Highway Commission 1 pei
! urge the extension of this road .lls
D the State, hoping that eventu- Dy
it will reach Dover and then WI
lar and Selbyville, as l foresee nm n
great need there will be for l
a highway few years from Doy
e years 1929 and 1880 mark the cen
lning of dirt road improvement low
by the State High cen
Department. Twenty-three nee
; of this class of work has been ulsc
rtaken and is being eeonomi- acc'
and satisfactorily. maintained. Ten
ne last. two years one hundred "
miles of hard sur aC
roads have been added to the Ter
IS system of highways and now ceIi
ids over eight hundred and ten anu anu
!. CeLi
e opinion of our citizens should Oe -,
'ught as to whether or not the II
Highway Department is quail is
o direct the building and MAIN trus
ice of all roads in the State. l Ieql
nally think it is and of one Du
F biobwov % do1oIonyoant IN 9o1- rece