Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-23
City Surplus
Placed al Only
Sd Million
Department Heads
Told to Hold Down
On Estimates

Faced with q stark reminder
hat the city expects only q $s.l
million surplus going into fiscal
1866, District Government agen-
cies today found themselves in
the position of preparing 1866
budget estimates substantially
The same as actual appropriate
lions for fiscal 1855.
Affected are those departments
by the so-called gen.
eral fund. These include the i'm
portant, though non-revenue-
producing, schools and health.
welfare and corrections depart-
ments.
The general fund depart
ments were, firmly adrnonished
by Budget Officer Walter l..
the blessings OF
the District Commissioners Ito
keep their 1856 operating ex-
pense estimates at such mini
NUNS as WIN be covered by the
anticipated slim .$S.4 million
1855 surplus.
Mr.. Fowler pointed out that
So million Of this sum Is O.
pected to be consumed by man
datory" increases. These In
clude chiefly the costs Of st.
Elizabeths Hospital patients.
automatic pay raises. operation
of the part Federal courts here
and retirement payments. For
years these costs have risen con-
sistently.
Other Costs Increase.
The remainder Of the surplus
is expected to be dissolved In
meeting other increased costs
which have been developing from
year to year.
ON the budget officers recon-
the Commissioners
divided into i've categories the
grounds on which department
heads may ask for more money
in fiscal 1856. They UNDERSIGNED
their restriction by citing Mr..
Fowler's warning that unless
their instructions are needed
higher taxes and decreased serv-
ices may be necessitated.
The department justifications
may be based on:
/. The mandatory" increases.
which for all practical purposes
department heads have no con-
troll over.
2. Items cover which the
agency has no control" More
needy persons requiring public
assistance, a bigger population
at District correctional institu-
tions are included in this cate-
CORY.
8. increases that will ulti-
mately produce greater income.
A typical example is the hiring
Of a bigger staff for the asses
sors Office to enforce existing
tax laws to greater revenue
producing effect.
4. Items that were approved
by the Commissioners for fiscal
1855 but disallowed by Congress.
The total exceeds $3.50, 900.
5. Items ''indisputably essen.
tial" to providing adequate NUM-
cipal services.
Strong Opposition.
The latter, ,phraseology. it was
understood, was approved only
over strong opposition by middle-
echelon authorities. The Com
missioners favored it with the
idea that it opened the door to
departmental requests only q
couple of inches" according to
Commissioner Samuel Spencer.
The caluse spontaneously was
termed by the subj Commissioner
level, however, as the every
thing -but-the- kitchen sink" pro.
vision. Thus. they say. loop
hole is left, as 1t has been in the
past, for the department heads
to ask for everything they feel
even remotely desirable, plac-
ing the burden on the city heads
to determine what Is really
needed.
In this connection, Mr.. Fowler
reported that departmental JUS
tifications in the past. "in many
cases, have been woefully made
quate and have not indicated
the need for increase"
Failure to properly justify
may result in adverse considera-
ton of your requests" he
warned.
Estimated Requests.
Orders that agency heads
should confine their 1856 re-
quests except for increases be-
yond their control--to those
items disallowed by Congress for
fiscal 1855 boil down principally
to the following:
Health Department, $4,000.
much of which sum involved
deleting the homemakers serv-
ice from the program.
General Administration, $685.
600, largely added personnel for
the personnel and management
offices.
Schools, $4,000. mainly to
provide additional teachers and
administration personnel.
Civil Defense, $4,000. mostly
equipment.
Police, $53, 900, crossing guards
and vehicular removal cranes.
Fire Department. $4,000,
mostly firefighting equipment.
Courts, $4,000. added persons
mel. \
Licenses and Inspections De-
partment. $37, 900. more housing
and slum prevention inspectors.
Welfare, $4,000, public as
sistance payment increases.
In addition to the admonition
against free.and-easy requests