The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1939-11-02
Accounts For
Increase In
County Costs
Says Due to Expenditures
Outside Usual Sphere of
Operations.
DEMANDS GROWING
FOR MORE SERVICES
(From the Montana Taxpayer)

(From the Montana Taxpayer1
That most of the increased coun-
ty governmental costs are due to the
payment of services outside the reg
ular and usual sphere of county OPP
erations is revealed by a compari-
son of county clerks annual reports
for the year ending June 30 1899,
with reports of a decade ago Salar-
les of county officials have re-
manned the same. In fact, the total
amount is less because of the re-
ductlon IN valuations lowering the
class of SO many counties. Expenses
Of county offices have increased
with demands for service beyond
the power of officials TO perform
with extra help.
Delinquent Taxes and Tax Deeds
The largest single source Of in
creased expense to county clerks
and treasurers can be attributed to
the tremendous amount of tax de-
llnquency and the procedure in tax
ing tax deeds On June 30, 1889
the total amount of delinquent tax
es for all years was over S17650,000,
and the value of land acquired by
tax deed amounted to approximate
lv S8,500000 Most county clerks
reports do not show the actual ex-
pense incurred by delinquent tax
IS and tax deeds as the cost of the
work relating to the same is abb
sorbed in the salaries and expenses
of officials. Some county reports
do, however, show a certain amount
of tax-deed expense separately. For
shows tax-deed expense amounting
to $6,479, Petroleum $4,3l9 that
would take a or 6-mill tax to
raise; Valley county S3,l66, Chou
teau $2,786; Phillips $2,488, and Yell
lowstone s2,0l5.
County Welfare Departments
Until 1887 county public welfare
departments were unknown and the
poor funds administered entirely by
county commissioners. Last year it
took SCOT 1888 out of the county poor
fund just to pay the county cost of
administration of county Public
Welfare Departments and in addi-
ton the state paid approximately
$1l6,000 or one-half the salaries
and certain expenses of county well
fare workers. According to county
clerks reports the county cost Of
public welfare administration in
Lincoln county for the year ending
June 80, 1889, was $4,378.00.
Some county welfare departments
included more staff members than
other counties had officials and
deputies to conduct all county bus
mess. Cascade county had a staff
of is, Silver Bow IA, Missoula ID,
Yellowstone II, Lewis and Clark 9,
and Flathead g. Liberty county had
no public assistance personnel, and.
Garfield. Golden Valley, Judith Ba-
sin, Meagher, Mineral, Petroleum,
Powell, Sweet Grass, Treasure and
Wheatland had only one staff work
er each.
More Demands-More Taxes
That other state and federal agen-
cies concerned with agriculture are
also starting to demand county
funds for cooperation is evident
from county reports. Fallon, Chou
teau. Ravalli, Wheatland and Teton
counties, for example, report ex
penditures for the operation of
Farm Security offices. Fallon coun-
ty made expenditures for seed loan
administration and the CCC. Big
Horn county put up $1,046 for a
livestock inspector and several 9TH
er counties appropriated money for
hide and meat inspection.
Among other new purposes for
which small amounts of tax money
were spent last year were the NYA
Child Health Council, Soil Con-
servation, San Francisco Fair, Arm
DRY, Airport, Farmers Picnic, Pre-
datory Animal Control, High School
Extension, and County Garbage.
While our statutes have been broad
ened to include some of these pur-
poses. most of them were made
without any statutory authority
WPA sponsorship accounted for a
very large expenditure in many
counties and while consequent EN-
ployment supplemented poor funds,
many of the projects undertaken
were of doubtful productive char
acter. Public Welfare items in
Guided in poor fund expenses are
quite significant of the expansion of
public service. Here are few ex-
amples. medicine, optical fees, pre-
scriptions, sewing rooms, nursing
schools, surplus commodity offices
or expenses, glasses, dentistry, etc
Cascade. Ravalli, and several other
counties paid out money to move
transients into some other county OF
That the 1899 State Weed Law
providing for the payment Of gen
eral tax money for weed contro
will increase the pressure on coun
ty commissioners to take money
from the general fund or to make
a special levy is clearly indicated
by the tax money spent for this pur
,,aea 1arf wear sN0xiOtrc Weeds