The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1953-06-11

Yesterday afternoon the Mayor
and Council, at a special session, met
with the new city auditor, John K.
Baker, III, to go over with him the
financial report of the city for the
year 1852 and the first three months
of 1858, all of which covered the
business of the city under the Mills
administration.
Due to the fact that had to be at
the printing plant getting ready to
print today's issue, 1 could not stay
for the meeting, but l was able to
obtain an overall picture of the city's
finances and here are the highlights:
AS of December 81, 1852, there was
a surplus of 1881, 439.46, but as of
March 81, 1858, this surplus had been
reduced to $174,035.60.
The sudden drop in the surplus at
the end of the first three months In
1853 is very simply explained.
When the 1858 budget was drawn
up under the Mills administration
there were, in addition to the regu-
lar items in the budget, number OF
projects, totaling over five hundred
thousand dollars, which were to be
completed in 1858, if and when the
taxpayers of the city voted in favor
of a bond issue of eight hundred
thousand dollars which the Mayor
and Council voted to put on the
city's 1858 ballot.
At the last minute, however, 1t
was decided not to put the bond is
sue on the ballot. The auditors re-
port shows, however, that number
of these projects were actually start
ed during the first three months of
this year, including: one item of
$15O,OOOOO for the light plant cooling
system, and some work on both Not
tingham and Devonshire Roads.
The expenditures for these I'm
authorized projects, which totaled
$207, 40400, had to be taken out of
the December 81 surplus, which &C
counts for the fact that, as of March
81, 1853, this surplus had dwindled
to about $174,OOO.
It was also brought out at the
meeting, that the rebuilding of two
turbines at the light plant were
ordered by the Mills administration,
subject to the bond issue, and if this
project goes through, at a cost OF
about one hundred thousand dollars,
that too will have to come out of the
surplus. 1t was further pointed out
that the ten thouSand-dol contri-
button to the North Street Y swim
ming pool, which was not included
in the 1853 budget has to come out of
the surplus also.
The net result of all of this, as l
see it, is that the Mayor and Council
will have to move cautiously through
the rest of the year if they are going
to keep the city's finances in balance
without having to borrow money.
I sincerely hope, however, that
once the members of the Council are
familiar with the amount of money
they can spend on street improve
mentS, that they will make it their
first business to see to it that those
long deferred, yet badly needed,
street improvements-an at the top
of that list are Devonshire and Not
tingham Roads-are taken care of
before any new commitments are
made.
AS I said in the beginning, was
unable to be at the full meeting, but
I thought you would be interested
in knowing about these overall fig
ures on your city's finances.
Congratulations to Mayor Winslow
F. Burhans on his prompt action
after receiving a complaint on Mon
day morning from residents of the
Mitchell Avenue area that the street,
their yards and some of the interior
of their homes, were covered with a
black, sooty smoke, which the Mayor
said came from the plant of the Sup
plee- Willis-Jones Milk Company's
plant on Mcdowell Avenue, and that,
in the words of the Mayor, Looked
like black snow"
AS soon as the complaint was re-
ceived, Mayor Burhans, accompani-
ed by City Engineer Claude Williams
and Sanitary Inspector L. P. Shank,
made an immediate inspection of the
area and he then personally served
notice on the manager of the plant
that immediate action must be taken
to correct this nuisance, pointing out
that there is a smoke control ordin-
ance on the city books and that it is
going to be enforced.
The Mayor, in his conversation
with the manager of the plant, point
ed out that it was not his intention
to make things difficult for any COM
pany that does business in the city