Evening star., 1948-04-02
Surplus UseCuts
PrinceGeorges
Tax Increases
Record Budget Sends
Totui Assessments
To More Than $2.25
By Charles A. McAIeer

Prince Georges County property
owners will pay 2 cents more per
500 valuation on their county real
estate tax bill starting July /. as
result of a record $3,070,278.11
budget approved by the county
commissioners yesterday.
The measure will raise the tax
rate from S195 to $197.
This means most county residents
will pay well over $2.25 per 500
on their total 1949 tax bills. Other
assessments will include 11.13 cents,
compared to the present 10-cent
rate, for the State: 10 cents for the
Washington Suburban Sanitary
Commission, 5 cents for the Mary
land-National Capital Park and
Planning Commission, 42s cents for
the Metropolitan area tax and what
ever other taxes are applicable to
property owners under the Sanitary
Commissions front foot benefit
charges and the special improve
ment district taxes.
Surplus Holds Down Increase.
Although the total county levy,
on which the new tax rate is based,
is only $134,045.06 more than the
current year, actual operating ex-
penses for the next year will amount
to $718,284.63 additional, the COM
missioners disclosed.
Use of surplus funds and antici-
pated receipts from the State and
other sources is credited with hold
ing down the tax rate. The COM
missioners predicted two weeks ago
that the county rate might go as
high as $2.45 per 500.
Total expenditures for the next
year, the commissioners announced.
will amount to $3,702 ,244.40, an all
time high. A total of 68 county
items is included under the levy
portion of the budget, while
II others are listed as coming from
the surplus and anticipated funds.
Budget Extraordinary"
Describing the budget as an
extraordinary" one, Commissioner
William A. Carson, board president,
said the amount allocated to the
different departments, while not
giving them all they asked for, will
be sufficient to take care of the
needs of the county without losing
efficiency"
The Commissioners, at some later
date, he added, hope to analyze
this tax rate to give to the taxpay-
ing public resume of the rate and
its application to the different de-
partments
The tax rate is based upon an
assessed valuation of property and
utilities totaling $155 1895, ,750, a little
more than 100000 900 over last year,
Mr.. Carson said. Property valua-
tions alone, due to reassessn1ents
during the last year, have jumped
from s122, 2,oo0, 900 to $l34,895,5 $50, he
explained.
Other Factors Cited.
Other factors holding down the
tax rate include $309,716 expected
to be returned to the county from
the State under provisions of the
Sherbow plan: $145 900 turned over
by the State to the County Board of
Education for its building fund, and
about $133,O00 surplus in county
banks from the current year, Mr..
Carson declared.
Largest single grant in the budget
is $1,675,274, compared to ST .493, 100
this year, for the Board of Educa-
ton. In addition, more than $685.
600 over the current levy is allo-
Gated for interest and redemption
of new bonds for school, hospital
and public building construction.
One new item, equivalent to 10
cents of the tax rate, is $155 ,895.57
for county road maintenance. A
similar ALLEGATION to provide the
same amount for new road construc-
ton also is included in the levy.
Police Granted $225,0 900.
Another major increase grants the
police department, including the
trial magistrates, police and juvenile
court personnel, $225, 900 compared
to the current ALLEGATION of $215, 1000.
Election expenses call for an outlay
of $4,000 to pay for salaries of
judges, clerks and other expendi-
lures.
No salary increases, except those
provided by State law such as au-
tomato pay increases for police,
teachers and other school personnel,
are authorized, Mr.. Carson said.