The Wilmington morning star., 1947-02-16

Nor is 1t only the 1arm-DOrn seq
ment of the population that is in
volved in this reversal of an his
tcric migration pattern. All sec
tons Of the population, municipal
experts say, + seeking es-
cape from congestion, crowded liv-
ing quarters and bad air. They are
utilizing automobiles and speedy
transportation to commute to work
in cities where they no longer pay
taxes.
Likewise there has been a change
in the components of the popula-
ton. People r older, there has
been a slowing up of the birth rate
and a rise in the average age. The
consequence is a demand for new
and different services on the part
of the city government.
The residual problem for the city
is this: How can expanding serv-
ices be maintained over an
unshrinkable geographic area from
which a large portion of the inhabi-
tants have moved, but who still
work and play in the area? How
a municipal finances, subject to
rigid state controls, m e e the
climbing outgo?
The tax institute of New York
says New York's Manhattan dis
triet lost one-fifth of its population
between 1919 and 1890. Cincinnati's
Etasin district lost one-fourth dur
ing the same period - a. migra-
ton which took former residents
outside the taxation limits, and
which was common throughout the
nation.
Decentralization, it is called. It
s%upplants the nineteenth century
pattern of rapid and continuous
growth which brought cities
to what Lewis Mumtord has called
the encyclopedia" stage.
The new trend has been establish
ed by both official and unofficial
stat~isticians. Yet the services pro-
vided by the city in response to
its growth remain, and are grow
ing in response to demand and
necessity.
The new trend has been estab-
lished by both official and unoffi-
cial statisticians. Yet the services
provided by the city in response
to it's growth remain, and are grow
ing in response to demand and
necessity.
A few - a very few = examples
of these services would include rail
roads, public utilities. mar
kets, ports and harbors, the tradi-
dional police and fire protection,
public health, hospitals. education,
b~roadcasting stations, traffic con-
troll and so on almost ~endlessly.
Compare this highly selected list
ing with any complete tabulation
of municipal services of say 100
years ago. In 1924 Detroit gave its
citizens "a services: by 1912 this
had risen to 1896 with no signs of
stopping.
Where does the money come
from, and, more important. rom
whence car it be obtained today?
Historically American cities have
depended heavily upon the general
property tax. Even today the 1885,
600 units of local government de-
rive from SO to SO per cent of their
revenue from this single source.
Second in Importance is the aid
the localities receive from their e
spective states. This varies from
state to state, and in five states
Florida, Kentucky, Nevada, Texas,
and Vermont - no state aid what
ever is forthcoming.
Localities first sought to in
crease their property tax revenues
through such devices as reassment,
100 per cent valuation. removal of
tax exemptions where possible, and
the like.
But there are stumbling blocks
here. Tax exempt property, across
the nation, is estimated by
the council of state governments at
more than S26. 600, 900. DOC. 900 or 18
per cent of the nations taxable
property. Most OF it is concentrated
in cities.
New York city, for example, has
more than S.. 500, 600, 900 tax exempt
property within it's limits in the
form of schools. churches. and pri-