The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1939-11-29

amount OF tneSe uOIlatiVhS "MAOn
had accumulated by the end OF
the year was $191,OOO, and this
amount proved sufficient to heal
and shortages in welfare appro-
nriations which that department
developed up TO the end OF the
year.
Thus objective No. 2 was ac-
cOmplished.
Healing Of Effects
In considering objective No. 3,
which was the healing of the eff
feet on the budget of having
enormously included 100000 from
the surplus resource sinking fund
as part of the general resources
in the 1888 budget, the commN-
tee concluded that this objective
could be accomplished only by
savings which could be made In
expenditures under the 1888 bud
get. A careful review of all bud
get items 70 that year, confer
ences with tho mayor and the de-
partment heads, and agreement
on the part of the mayor to cut
ting out certain expenses. result
ed in savings of large amounts.
But the committee concluded that
IL needed some outside profession
al assistance. Griffenhagen q
Associates, because Of their knOwl-
edge of the waterbury situation
through the fact that they had
been the auditors Of the city's ac-
counts for 1887, were engaged. II
was also felt that we should need
professional assistance in setting
I'm the budget for 1899, which
must be done In the late fah OF
1898. We found the funds avail
able to pay for this work In an
item of $4,000 set up In the con-
troller's department for interest
on bond issues that was not go
ing to be needed. After a pro-
posal was made by Grilfenhagen
q Associates for this work, rec
concentration was made to the
board of aldermen that they APP
prove transfer from this ltem
of 10000 to the appropriation for
auditing, which had become eX-
hausted. The board Of aldermen
voted this approval and the
mayor pprOved.
Accountants Pick II Up
Grifrenhagen & Associates then
took up the work where the
economy committee and the mayor
had left off and produced large
additional items which could be
saved. These were reported by the
economy committee to the board
of finance and they In turn rec
commended that the mayor order
the departments not to spend
these items. As these items OF saw
ings In expenditures were agreed
TO by the mayor he ordered the
department heads not TO spend
them. ThereupOn the board OF
finance instructed the controller
cucumber these items, and on
Sep ember LIST the board OF finance
assembled all these items in de-
tail and referred them to the
board Of aldermen with recon-
mendation that they be trans
ferrcd from the various depart
ments into an emergency fund TO
be set up by the board Of alder
men, which fund would be under
the control of the board Of finance
and the board Of aldermen.
The accumulation Of these saw
ings amounted TO an aggregate
sufficient TO enable the city to get
through the year and meet its
bills without the necessity OF
raising a special tax levy.
Thus in practical effect objec-
tive No. 3 was reached.
Helps On Budget
After Griffenhagen's work was
done on this item Of saving In
expenditures they Immediately
proceeded to help the board OF
finance In setting up the budget
for the year 1899. The initial sur
vey of the situation for the 1888
budget indicated, on the face Of
It, a 40 or Al mill tax. and the
economy committee Of the board
of finance knew that they faced a
very difficult job. They set an OBJ
jectiye Of IS mills and succeeded
eventually I'm successfully setting
up a budget which called for no
more than IS mills. This budget
was left practically intact by the
board OF aldermen.
After January /, 1889. II was APP
parent that there were still many
savings that could be made In eX-
penditures In the various Depart
mentS and the Board Of Finance
Economy Committee was not dis
charged but was given the job OF
continuing TO make savings In ex-
penditures, and much has been
accomplished In this connection
In the year 1889.
Included In Budget
In the set-up Of the 1889 budget
there was included as resource
the receipts estimated to flow into
the Surplus Resource Sinking
Fund. but there were appropriate
cd specifically against that re-
source in the budget amounts
ESTIMATED, Of cOurse) Of cash de-
ficit and floating debt. These
were set up in detail, and the Tax
Collector. Tax Attorney, and Cor
pOration Counsel urged to con-
tinue their efforts In collection OF
back taxes. The result has been
that as of October !. 1899. there
had been accumulated In the Sur
plus Resource Sinking Fund suf-
ficient funds so that we had paid
off all cash deficits discovered up
to that date, as well as all the
floating debt. and restored to the
general fund all Over-eXpendi-
lures on bond issues, and had a
balance Of about S16,00O.OO left In
the Surplus Resource Sinking
Fund.
Floating Debt Found
Since then we have discovered
some Sl4,OOO.O0 Of float ting debt on
the controllers books, through dill
igent search In the controllers Of
flee. by reason of the fact that