The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-11-16
Recommendations To Be
Made By Mayor Malone
To New City Council

Mayor William H. Malone vii
address the new city council at it
meeting tonight, at which time tn,
chief executive will make a humble
of recommendations for new legis
lation and other matters in the in
terest of the municipality. Thu
mayor will include the following
in the address to be made:
Under the provisions of the cit!
charter, it is the duty of the may
or to advise the city council, al
to needed legislation to meet sit
nations that occur in the executive
department of government. / de-
sire to recommend to the council
several ordinances, which in my
judgment, are needed for the bet.
ter government of the city of Key
West, and which may assist in the
solution of some of the problems
with which we will have to deal
in the coming two years.
First, the finances of the city
are in a depleted condition. The
city is very much in debt FOR cur
rent expenditures, floating debt
and bonds and interest. have
been endeavoring to cooperate
with the cities in the state,
looking to general solution of
the bonded indebtedness. There
is a measure pending, in the U.
s. congress permitting NUM-
CAPABILITIES to take advantage of the
provisions of law similar to bank
ruptcy. In the last legislature of
the state of Florida a similar bill
was introduced but failed to
pass.
"The municipalities, however,
in the state of Florida are study
ing methods by which indebted
ness can be refunded, or taxes
segregated for debt service and
for municipal operation. All of
these measures are prospective.
We must take the situation as we
find it now to look for a solution.
/ wish to cooperate with you in
effecting arrangement with the
city's creditors, in either financial
or legal ways. We must make
some effort to collect taxes due
the city. The city of Tampa has
an arrangement by which taxes
are collected on the installment
plan, using an outside collector
for that purpose. / believe 1T
would be good measure to enact
in the city Of Key West. We
have ample authority under the
city charter to collect in this
manner. 1t could be divided into
monthly or quarterly installments.
1t would require the passage of a
city ordinance to permit this ar
rangement. Many tax payer
may be able to pay twelfth of
his taxes when he could not pay
the entire amount. This would
bring some revenue.
"The license ordinance of the
city of Key West should be re-
vised. Some license taxes are too
high and others are too low.
Licenses should be levied in pro-
portion with business done or
commensurate with income re-
ceived. There are other license
items which are indefinite and
difficult of Interpretation. These
should be clarified. There are
other items which have been de-
clared unconstitutional by the
courts. | believe if our license
ordinance was revised the revenue
would be more readily collectable.
II is the intention of your mayor
to enforce the collection of
licenses to the fullest extent, If
the two ordinances recommended,
relative to our finances are
adopted, believe it viii be of
great assistance to the city.
Traffic
"The traffic ordinance of the
city Of Key West should also be
revised. in order that they may
be made certain and ineligible
to the driving public. 1t is diff
ficnlt to enforce the traffic laws
for the reason that great ma
jority of the motorists in Key
West are unfamiliar with the
legal requirements, People should
be required to operate their cars
without disturbing the general
public. and provision should be
included regulating this phase of
traffic. Fortunately for US we
have very few accidents in Key
West. Indeed our record for
motor accidents compare with
any in the country. Nevertheless.
there are many phases of the
law that should be amended.
II believe it would be a wise
thing to regulate the streets of Key
West, making one-way traffic. and
if one-way traffic is required, an
gnlar parking could be permitted,
thereby creating parking space.
and avoiding collisions. Cities all
over the United States have adopt
ed this method Of traffic. Il