Evening star., 1947-10-09
Urges
Budget Based on
Existing Taxes
Commissioners Hear
Views on Districts
194o Estimates
SENATOR CAIN pops in" on
budget hearing. Page B-l
BY kewboId Noyes, Jr.

by Newbold Noyes, Jr.
Maj. Gen. David McCoach, jr.,
a former District Engineer Com
missioner, told the city heads at
their public hearing on the 1949
budget today they should hold
the budget to figure which can
be met from existing taxes at
existing rates"
Gen. McCoach was the first Of
% representatives of local civic,
business and welfare organizations
tostake the witness stand in the
District Building board room.
Throughout the two-hour session
the voice of the economy minded
among the Districts citizens spoke
loudest and most often.
Hearing Closed.
After the citizens had had their
say the hearing ended.
With regard to District Budget
Officer Walter L. Fowler's recon-
mendation that sales tax be en-
acted and the present personal in
come tax repealed, Gen. McCoac1
pointed out in his testimony that
the board last year urged enactment
OF sales tax If the local income
tax law could not be made equitable.
I'VE recommend that the Commits
sioners keep the budget now being
prepared within the total estimated
revenues under present taxes, even
though this might permit capital ap-
preparations only sufficient to con.
tinue prosecution of important i'm
provements already authorized and
for which partial appropriations
have been made" Gen. McCoach
said.
Clear Cut Program Urged.
The former Engineer Commissioner
urged that no further money be
spent on new construction projects
until clear-cut program for capital
improvements and their financing Is
adopted and improved.
such a program could be financed
by an increase in the Federal pay
ment, by borrowing, by additional
O<1ACC. VI NY q IOlllbAldUlOkl VI dAl,
Gen. McCoach said.
He added, however, that until the
method is agreed upon, there should
be no further spending for new con-
struction.
Estimates of department heads,
submitted last month for the fiscal
year 1949, called for a total budget Of
just under $144,0o0,000. Gen. Nc
Coach was scornful. of these esti-
mates.
Held of Little Assistance.
Except in . few cases. depart
mental estimates are Of no assist
ance in efforts to arrive at any con-
clusion as to real requirements" he
said.
They constitute only a list Of
proposed expenditures, with no con-
sideration whatever to the other
half of a good plan-namely, the
means of paying"
Gen. McCoach continued:
II believe that the practice of pub
fishing these greatly excessive de-
partmental estimates has now
reached such proportions that most
thinking citizens completely disre-
gard them as fair measure of true
needs. The cry Of wolf has been 50
and regularly sounded
that the result conforms to the les
son of the fable"
Earlier, Commissioner John Rus
sell Young greeted those attending
the hearing with the suggestion
that they should not waste time"
arguing against the $144,000, 900
estimate submitted by department
heads.
THAT total is absurd on the face
Of it," Commissioner Young said.
"' = The Commissioners know 1t
already, and have no intention of
submitting any such budget"
Couldn't Raise That Much.
Mr. Young said the District could
not raise that much money In a
year and could not spend it If it
raised it.
1--WE feel it is better to let depart
ment heads make foolish estimates
than to prevent any department
from speaking his mind" Mr.. Young
said.
1T does no harm. except a mo-
mentary shock to the sensibility Of
our taxpayers"
This was the practical question
posed by Commissioner Young:
How can the Commissioners
stretch the revenues of the general
fund to meet unavoidable costs, and