The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1945-04-05


chairman of the Washington coun-
ty Board of County Commission.
ers, announced that following o
meeting of the Commissioners with
the entire County Delegation and
State Senator Allen Myers, the
proposed 100000 School Bond Is
sue had been dropped and a pay
as-you-go program prepared in its
place.
Under the pay-as-you- plan,
the County Commissioners were to
provide the School Board with o
flat sum of $4,000 in 1916, and an
additional sum of 100000 each
year thereafter, for a period of ten
years, all of which was to be used
by the School Board for capital ex-
penditures for schools in the city
and county.
To pay for these expenditures, it
was the purpose of the Board of
County Commissioners to make the
necessary provision in the tax rate,
beginning with 1947
Mr.. Shank also stated that a
meeting of the Commissioners and
the School Board had been held, at
which time the building program
was fully discussed and definite
plan arrived at concerning the or
der in which the major improve
ments were to be undertaken.
In releasing the plans of the
Commissioners, Mr.. Shank stated
that they fully realized the need of
major school Improvements and
additions, both in the city and
county, and were determined to do
something about it right away. The
Commissioners felt, however, that
it was not the proper thing to do,
to ask for bond issue, which
would have to be paid for by the
taxpayers sooner or later, and so
they worked out the pay-as-you-go
program, which not only provides
funds for the work needed to be
done, but also provides the money
at a much lower cost to the tax
payers.
Following this announcement,
Robert Tenney, chairman of the
County Delegation, as soon as the
Delegates returned to Annapolis,
called meeting and the Delega-
ton, by unanimous consent, al
ranged to present two bills to the
House, to insure the carrying out
Of the -as-you-go plan advo-
Gated by the County Commission
ers.
The first bill was an enabling act,
authorizing the Board of County
Commissioners to borrow up to
100000 on short term notes, in an
ticipation of tax revenues, for cap
ital improvements, thus providing
the Commissioners with the power
to borrow, if necessary, in order to
meet the annual payment of $780,
600, provided for in the pay-as-
you-go plan.
In preparing the second bill, the
Delegation realized that the term
of Office of the present County
Commissioners would expire IN
early December, 1916, and there
fore, unless a bill was introduced,
making it mandatory for the in
coming Board to carry out the pro-
visions of the pay-as-you-go plan,
the whole plan would be jeopar-
died in the event that the present
Board was not reelected and the
new Board refused to carry the
plan along.
Believing further that a total of
100000 was sufficient to carry out
the proposed building and i'm
provement program, as outlined by
the County School Board, the Dele
cation introduced a bill making it
mandatory for the Board of Coun-
ty Commissioners to set aside a
sum of 100000 for five years, be-
ginning with 1916, the money to be
placed in a separate fund TO be
known as ''The School Improve
ment Fund" The bill further pro-
vided the Board of County Com
missioners with authority to levy to
meet these payments
Both bills passed the House, but,
when the second bill was presented
in the Senate, the mandatory
clause had been deleted and an OPP
tional clause substituted.
When this happened, Chairman
Tenney Immediately called a meet
ing of the Delegation, and at that
meeting the Delegates voted four
to two, to uphold Senator Myers
amendment. Delegates Newcomer
and Tenney opposed the amend
ment, and although, by the ma
jority rule, the Delegation official
ly approved the bill as amended,
Delegates Newcomer and Tenney