The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1943-01-14
POSSIBILITY OF
LOCAL TAX HIKE
CAUSES CONCERN
Probable That Rate Will Be
Raised To AS Much AS $3.50
AS Result Of Debts Total
ing $225,OOO.O0

ing pEAo,OUU.UU
The probability of raising the
county tax rate to as much as
$3.50 on each 500 of assessable
property as the result of around
$225,000 indebtedness "inher-
tied" from previous boards of
Commissioners which must be
paid, has caused serious talk and
some contention upon the part
of taxpayers during the past
week. The county tax rate last
year was $1.33.
The new board of County Commits
sioners are obligated by law to COM
plete the laying of the levy for this
year by tomorrow, January Is, and
this morning they were unable to
state what the tax rate would be, or
whether or not they would attempt
to levy sufficient money to liquidate
the entire Indebtedness in one year,
in addition to maintaining all regular
activities for the ensuing year.
A letter to the editor in today's is
sue is suggesting that since the in
debtedness was incurred over period
of years, that it should be paid off
over a like period and not burden the
people during this war year with adj
ditional taxes which will be burden
some enough with Federal taxes
added.
Making Formal Protest
The Pennsylvania Electric Com
pany and the Eastern Land Corpora
tions, owners of the Deep Greek Lake
power dam and surrounding property
and liable for about one-fourth of the
entire taxes of the county, are max
ing a formal written protest today to
the Commissioners, advising against
levying the entire amount this year,
and the protest will be personally
aired by their attorney, Walter w.
Dawson.
A number of other citizens have
expressed the wish that even though
it will incur hardship, that since the
Indebtedness is there it should be
liquidated this year. Just what the
outcome will be will not be known I'M
til Friday, the deadline for laying the
annual levy.
Saving Effected
Meanwhile the County Commission
ers announced that they had been
cutting expenses wherever possible
since they took office in December
and gave figures to show that they
had effected a saving of $6,31762 in
the County Roads Department in a
months time. The savings were listed
as follows: Labor, about $2400; truck
hire, 2,182.62; rental of roller, $275;
rental of shovel, $500; use of one car
for roads instead of three cars, 5000;
outside garage work, about $500; in
surancc on reduced payroll (cach six
months) $11O, making total saved
during this period of $6,31762.
Three Orders Missing
John w. Herman, president of the
Board of Commissioners, said yester-
day that three orders, drawn by the
former board, in favor of G. Blaine
Giessman, former president, for eX-
expenses, amounting to $22100, and
which had been recalled from the
trcasurer's office where they were be-
ing held, were missing from his desk
drawer and there was evidence that
the lock on the drawer had been
forced.
He also said that these orders had
been placed in the desk Monday ev-
ening but that they were gone Tues
day morning There was no evidence
of any doors or windows to the Com
missioncrs office having been forced
open, and it was a mystery to the
Commissioners as to their disappear
ance.
One missing order was for expen-
ses to Baltimore, the other two for
Expenses" The amounts were for
$1O9.97, $67O2 and $44.O1, respec-
lively.