The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1954-01-07
Around Town With
The Editor

l have been surprised at the re-
action of the tax payers of Hagers-
town to the 1854 tax rate, which the
Mayor and Council, at a meeting
held last Thursday morning, set at
IS cents.
Everyone to whom have talked
and l have talked to lot of big
taxpayers, as well as little taxpay-
ers - not only seems perfectly salts
fed with the 85-cent rate, but most
of them went further and said it
should have been raised long time
ago
Another important step taken by
the Mayor and Council in setting up
the 1854 budget, was their unanimous
decision to earmark the entire reve-
nue. from all the city's parking met
ers for further municipal off-street
parking areas.
Heretofore, only the revenue from
the parking meters on the Market
House lot were set aside for an off
street parking fund, with the revenue
of all the other meters in the city 60
ing into the general fund. The Mayor
and Council, however, realized that
it would take long time to build up
fund big enough to provide ade-
quate off-street parking from just
EInI1Cn
wisely decided to put all meter reve-
nue. into the fund, so that, when ade-
quate locations become available
they would have the money to ac-
quire them.
AS you know, the Mayor and
Council, at last weeks meeting, de-
cided to delete from the 1854 budget
the long term major improvements,
which include the light plant, the
water works at Williamsport and
the enlargement of the sewage plant,
and to include them in projected
bond issue, subject to a referendum
of the taxpayers later in the year.
In making this announcement,
Mayor Burhans pointed out that the
projected bond issue was not the
Mayor and Councils bond issue, but
the peoples bond issue, and he felt
that it was only right that the people
of Hagerstown, who pay the taxes,
should decide for themselves wheth-
err or not they want these major inn
provements paid for over a long
period.
Mr.. Burhams also pointed out that,
if the bond issue is approved by the
taxpayers, it does not necessarily
mean that the bonds will be issued
Immediately, because it is very
doubtful if the major part of the
work on any one of the three big
projects can be started before 1855.
In other words, the approval of the
referendum would simply be an
authorization to the Mayor and
Council to issue bonds when and as
they are needed.
$3.50
The Mayor announced yesterday
that, with the approval of the Coun-
Gil and the concurrence of the Board
of Public Works, he had engaged
the services of the engineering firm
of Burns and Mcdonald Company, of
Cleveland and Kansas, to make a
complete survey of the Municipal
Light Plant.
Mr.. Burhans stated that the firm
will start the survey right away and
present their report and recon-
mendations to the Mayor and Coun-
Gil at the earliest possible date.
Needless to say, the amount of the
proposed bond issue for capital, long
range improvements, cannot be de-
termined until the survey is COM
pleted.
Ami c. Saum, veteran County
Clerk, became the first candidate for
the Democratic nomination for Com
missioner when he filed his certi-
ficate for candidacy on Monday.
Ami was first elected in 1912 and
was reelected in 1916 and again in
1850.
However, under an act of the legis-
lature, passed last year, the Office of
County Clerk is no longer an elective
one. the appointment resting in the
hands of the incoming board.