Evening star., 1952-04-30

lutsbudget,Sets
Tax Rate Tonight
Pores $l75,000 From
Schools in Reducing
TotuI by $N5,000
The Arlington County Board
will meet tonight to set tax rates
based on the budget it has cut by
about $275.000.
After nearly four hours last
night, the board broke a 2-to-2
deadlock to give unanimous ap-
proval to a $175,000 reduction in
the proposed school budget. Supt
William A. Early had recommended
a budget of $5.975,758.
Board members also agreed to
cut about 100000 from the pro-
posal of County Manager A. T.
Lundberg.
BY law, the property tax rate
for 1923 must be set by the
board by midnight tonight. other
wise, Commonwealth's Attorney
William j. Hassan told the board,
the school and county budgets as
recommended by the superintend-
ent and manager will go into
effect on July l.
Budgets Total $1S,916,183.
The recommended budgets total
$13,916,183. In advertising the
proposed budgets, the board also
proposed increases in
both the property and business
license tax rates.
The proposed increase on gross
retail sales under the business tax
ordinance was from IL cents per
500 to % cents. The recon-
mended budgets would require a
increase in the property
tax rate of $2.75 per $1O0 of prop
erty valuation, If the business tax
rate was not increased.
The cut in the school budget
would chop Z cents from the pro-
posed increase, and the reduction
in the general budget would mean
a further reduction of 4 cents.
The board could obtain the
needed additional revenue through
a combination of both tax
methods.
Valuation Increased.
Board Chairman Robert w. Cox
announced that it had been agreed
in conference that the estimate OF
total assessed valuation used in
computing the budget should be
increased. This would be a 81
million increase, from $265, ,o97, ,571
to 272.097,571.
Robert A. Peck, Republican
member Of the board, said that
the new figure would bring in
about SITS, 900, permitting an ad-
ditional 7-cent slash from the pro-
posed tax rate.
Mr.. Cox disagreed. He said the
School Board had been using the
low assessment estimate as a con-
tingency fund, and he said he will
support q school tax rate which
will provide the School Board with
a contingency fund of approx
mately 100000.
The meeting had been dead
locked after Mr.. Cox and Board
Member Daniel A. Dugan, both
non-partisan, voted for a school
budget cut of $4,000. Mr.. Peck
and Alfred E. Frisbie, Democrat,
held out for $25O.000.
The fifth member, Alan L. Dean,
also a non-partisan, was absent
He is i'll with a respiratory all
ment.
Dean May Attend.
Mr.. Cox told his colleagues that,
if the deadlock continued, Mr..
Dean, with the permission of his
doctor, was prepared to attend
tonight's meeting and cast his
vote.
Bargaining between Mr.. Peck
and Mr.. Dugan resulted in the
$175,0 figure, which was adopted
unanimously.
Supt. William A. Early said the
reduced budget still would permit
the board to raise teachers SAL
aries, 500 a year. in addition to
regular and some new increments.
School Board Member Barnard
Joy said the budget cut might re-
suit in a charge to students for
textbook rental. The fee, if
would be from 81 to $40
. year per student, he estimated.
County Board members said
they believed the School Board
should reduce propose, increases
in administrative costs, including
travel, secretaries and clerks.
At the suggestion of Mr.. Dugan,
1t was agreed that only IL police
men and one clerk will be added
in the coming year. Mr.. Lund-
berg had proposed adding 16
policemen and two clerks.
Mr.. Dugan said he will propose
tonight that the amount saved
from the police budget, about
16,000-be used to employ addi-
tional firemen. The budget al
ready provides for hiring nine
new firemen.
A motion of by Mr.. Dugan that
the Office Of Public Safety Direc-
tor be abolished failed for lack of
q second. However, a study of
the position by Mr.. Lundberg and
a board committee was requested.
Keurns to Tulk Tomorrow
Representative Kearns, Repub-