Evening star., 1949-06-22
County Council
Votes 10 Borrow
S4O0,O00Fund
Montgomery Is Now
In Excellent Finoncio
Shape, Hancock Says

pared With It's position during tn
war. according to Alexander Z
Hancock. county finance directo
He made the statement to re
porters yesterday after the Count
Council decided to borrow $400 90
for three months from the Subur
ban National Bank, Silver Sprinf
The funds will be used to oper
ate the county pending collection
of taxes. The Suburban Bank
interest rate of .85 of per cen
was the lowest Of four bids sub
mitted. MIR. Hancock said the in
terest rate was the lowest to b
paid by the county on any of 1t
obligations since the war.
In a statement explaining tn
reasons for borrowing the money
Mr.. Hancock said it had bee
found advisable to pay off $500. 90
more in short term notes than wa
originally provided in the curren
budget.
Additional Appropriations.
He also said additional appro
priations had been made durin
the year for school operating ex
penses, school furniture. payment
to hospitals for the care of in
digent patients and to the Wash
ington Suburban Sanitary Com
mission for water and sewe
connections on veterans housing
If these additional appropria
tions. including payment of tn
100000 in notes, had not beer
made, Mr.. Hancock declared. tn
county would have had sub
stantial cash surplus" at the ent
Of the current fiscal year
He told the council that un
collected taxes due the count,
total $110,672, adding that NOR
of this amount is expected to p,
paid by June 80.
Also uncollected, he said. is tht
county's share Of the State in
come tax which probably will bt
distributed to the county in Au
gust. He estimated this amoun
at $452,000
In addition, he said, the county
expects to receive next month
about $20,500 in gasoline taxe'
from the State and approximate.
$4,000 from the Liquor Board. ,
Hodges Appointed.
In other actions, the council ap.
pointed William Windsor Hodges
"a, of near Connus, to fill thu
vacancy on the Appeals Tia,
Court caused by the resignation
of j. Ernest Hawkins. Mr.. Hodges
term will expire June /. 1852.
A hearing was scheduled foi
July S on the councils new policy
of selling delinquent tax property
at auction. The hearing was re-
quested by the Rockville law firm
of Simpson g. Simpson. represent
ing e. Brooks Lee in his attempt
to prevent the council from auc-
tioning lot on which taxes have
not been paid since 1888. The
firm already has obtained pre-
liminary injunction in the case
Another hearing was set fol-
7:30 pm. July 26 in the Bethesds
County Building on a petition by
a group of property owners op.
posing the rezoning of property
at Old Georgetown and Green.
tree roads from residential A tt
commercial D.
The original rezoning applica.
ton, filed by Samuel E. Bogley
was approved by the former Boar(
of County Commissioners las
December 81. The council yester
day suspended the commissioners
action pending a rehearing.
Council President Frederic r
Lee announced tentative budget
airy appropriations for the fisca
year beginning July will be an
nounced early next week befor
formal adoption Of the bulge
June 80.
Pleads for Colored Schools.
The council received a lette
from Mrs. Janet Fay. 3 Ardmor'
Circle, Wood Acres, in which sh,
urged the group to appropriate
as much or more money for col
ored schools as for white schools.
Declaring her children attent
the Westbrook Elementary an.
Leland Junior High Schools
which have attractive building
and good equipment" Mrs. Fa,
wrote:
II am ashamed to drive pas
the school for colored children ol
River road and note the contras
in their building and grounds.
She also expressed the hope tina
the council would be able to en-
segregation "since 1t tends t
build up race antagonism in chill
dren ="
Mr.. Lee, in reply. noted that tn
school construction program fc
the coming year includes thre
new colored schools. and ths
others will be built in the futur
to consolidate four or five ol
schools into one new building.
Mrs. Dorothy Himstead, coun
Gil member. suggested that the ol
buildings be turned over to tn
communities in which they al
located for use as communit
centers.
The council voted to erect train
lights at Georgia avenue and Dal
drive and at Seminary road an
Columbia boulevard. Montgomer
Hills, If the State Roads Commis
sion would bear the cost of builc
ing traffic channeliZation facilitit
at the two intersections.
County Manager Irving G. Nj
Nayr estimated the cost Of tt
traffic lights at $2,500. whic
would be borne by the county.