The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1939-11-29
Board Of Finance Is
Doing Work Of Others
CONTINUED from Page y

Ommend It for adoption to the
Board Of Finance and the Mayor.
This committee was appointed by
the mayor and became known as
the Economy Committee Of the
Board of Finance. The commit
tee Immediately started work, and
when the audit came In from
Griffenhagen, was well prepared
TO develop a program.
The audit disclosed that there
were three major detectives which
should receive the first and most
concentrated attention Of the
committee. First, a cash deficit
Of S4S5,OOO which had not
been provided for In the budget OF
1888. Second, a probable shortage
in the 1888 appropriation OF the
welfare Department Of upwards
Of S25O,OOO. Third, an erroneous
inclusion as a resource In the 1888
budget Of $500, 900 as receipts from
the surplus resource sinking FUND
- making total shortage in the
budget for 1888 of upward OF
S1,0O0,0OO.
Deficit Could Be Met
The committee concluded that
the cash deficit Of S485,OOO could
be met through receipts In the
year 1888 which would flow into
the Surplus Resource Sinking
Fund. But SiS5,0O0 was a large
sum of money and there could be
no assurance of such large collec-
lions unless the collections Of prior
years taxes, assessments and
water rents, with interest and
penalty, were stimulated.
A preliminary investigation OF
the tax laws disclosed that there
were several methods by which
back taxes could be legally pur-
sued, and that there had been no
Standardization Of these methods.
In the minds of the committee 1t
was important that the procedure
be standardized, and, as a result OF
conferences between the commit
tee, the tax collector, the tax at
torney, and the corporation coun-
sci. standardized program was
agreed upon which was reported by
the Economy Committee to the
Board of Finance and recon-
mended for adoption. This
standardized practice was adopted
with the approval of the mayor,
and by his order put into effect
by the tax collector, the tax at"
torney. and the corporation
Counsel.
This resulted in stimulating and
energizing the collection to a
marked degree. indeed to the point
where during the year 1888 there
flowed into the surplus resource
sinking fund and was apprO-
priated out, in accordance with
the law, sufficient money to meet
the entire cash deficit of S4S5,000
with a substantial surplus remain
ing when the city'S books for 1888
were closed.
Thus objective No. was reach
ed.
Employees Salary Donations
In debating how the probable
deficiency in the appropriation to
tho welfare department could be
met, the committee decided that
q salary donation on the part Of
thc EMPLOYEES of the city was the
be& plan. This was recommended
10 enc mayor and he agreed and
0btaucd The waivers from the city
employee which took effect June
/, 1888. When the controller re-
ported that he had the waivers In
hand, the board Of finance in
structcd the controller to encum-
Der 10 per cent of the wages
and salaries Of city employees from
June LIST to the end Of the year.
This money could not be legally
transferred from the different de-
partment budgets until September
LIST and thereafter. Shortly after
September LIST the transfers were
recommended to the board of al
dermen from these budgets to
new item In the budget known as
"reserve for appropriations for re-
lief purposes, to be expended only
upon recommendation of the board
Of finance TO the board Of alder
men," The boarG of aldermen APP
proved the recommendation of the
board Of finance for this trans
fer and the set-up Of this new
item, and the controller set up
his books accordingly. The waiv-
ers obtained by the mayor were
indefinite waivers, and the board
Of finance virtually gave a guar
antee that these salary donations
would be spent for nothing but
relief under the procedure adopt
ed, namely, that the welfare de-
partment, when II required any of
these funds as the shortage In It's
original appropriations developed,
approach the board of finance
with a request for transfers from
this fund. The board of finance
carefully reviewed each request,
and when satisfied that II was
justified, recommended by vote TO