Milford chronicle., 1954-12-10

people Of Delaware have expanded
their concepts Of the public ser
vices they expect. This is particu-
larly evident in the field of social
welfare services where more funds
are required for mental hygiene.
care for the blind and the aged.
Delaware UNIQUE
Delaware is unique In the de-
gree to which the state government
provides many services that in
other states are provided by coun-
ty and municipal governments. This
fact must be clearly recognized
in appraising the rise in govern
mental expenditures. The state is
the administrative base which pro-
vides the vast majority of welfare
services, new highways and high
way maintenance, and school con-
structiOn and operating costs
The state as the principal iurisdic-
ton for providing welfare. educa-
ton, and highways is an accepted
part Of the philosophy of govern
ment in the State of Delaware.
Some observers of the Delaware
fiscal situation have suggested that
the answer to DelaWare's fiscal
problems is to place more Of the
taxing and service burden on the
county and municipal jurisdictions.
To do this would alleviate the
states fiscal situation. 1t is sug-
gested that the General Assembly
give careful consideration to this
approach.
Governments spending demands
are Unsuitable. Government tends
to spend all, and more than all. tbe
revenues that it takes in. The pres
sure to continually spend more
than IS taken in are great and it is
dlificult to cope with these pres
sures for greater. expenditure.
Governments job is to deter
mine what public services are
needed and to balance these needs
against what the people can be ex-
pected to pay in taxes. 1t is the Job
OF the chief executive and his staff
to present clearly and simply to
the Legislature and the people the
necessary facts on the cost Of serv-
ices and the nature of revenue
measures that will be required to
defray these costs. Nothing is said
about the position of the LegisIa-
ture on costs.)
Lack OF Controls
I'm the past the State of Dela
aware has paid little attention to
expenditure controls. There was
little incentive to do so. AS late as
l947 general fund expenditures
were relatively small, approximate
" S16,000,000, and revenues ex-
ceeded expenditures. At the same
time cash surpluses amounted to
approximately $14,0OO,O0O, or al
most a years cost of operations.
The problem that now faces the
Governor and his fiscal advisors is
not so much what to do to improve
the states fiscal affairs, as what to
DO first. Since the state has made
little use of the multitude of meth
DDS and techniques to manage and
control the states expenditures.
this is a real problem.
AT present, the state has no
plan Of capital improvements for
the next few years. Capital expen-
diture needs and proposals for f.
nancing are not included in the
budget as submitted by the Cover
nor to the General Assembly. Each
department or agency head asks
the General Assembly. Each depart-
ment or agency head asks the Cen
eral Assembly for the capital i'm
pFovements he needs or wants in
his program.
"The most effective or infuen-
tial (the State Highway Depart-
ment, for example) gets the neces-
sary authorization in terms of bond
issues. If the most effective or in
huential is the one with the high
est priority needs, then no harm is
done. The approach can hardly be
recommended as sound from the