Evening star., 1955-07-17
New Estimates
To Be Made Of
b. c. Revenues
Realty Tox Rate
DeIoy Slows Figuring
OF District $ Needs

DeI0y Slows flqufInQ
OF District $ Needs
~ HECTOR MIEAN
District fiscal experts. hard
pressed By the Commissioners
delay In setting the real estate
tax rate for the current year.
plan to attempt q re-estimate
OF city. revenue problems Tues
day.
General administration De
rector schuyler Lowe said yes
terday the session has been set
to follow BY one day Q meet
ing Of the House District Com
mittee which Is to consider add
ing several million dollars q year
to the District payroll.
At that time. Mr.. Lowe said,
he hopes he and other city fiscal
experts can guess pretty closely
how much more income the Dis
Itrict may need to keep out Of
1.-THE red during the current fiscal
year which ends next June 80.
Seek Speed ON Realty Bulls
Meanwhile. he said. 1t may
stilI be possible to get real estate
tax bills out to taxpayers BY
ISeptember /, even though the
Commissioners failed to set the
rate by last Friday.
Mr.. Lowe said that Taz
Assessor James L. Martin now
feels the bills could be gotten
lout by September /, by working
his force overtime. If the rate i
set not later than July 25.. Mr.,
Lowe said the posting Of some
|l5O,O0O bills normally takes two
months to complete. but that
the use of overtime. labor could
cut that to five weeks.
Mr.. Martin, who earlier set the
deadline as last Friday. has
warned that IL tax bills do not
reach the public by the first OF
September allowing them one
month in which to pay the first
half Of the bill without penalty
lit would be necessary for the
Commissioners to waive penalties
for late filing.
Mr.. Lowe said also that If the
bills are delivered later than Sep
ltember /, 1t nigh thaye an "ad-
verse effect on the city's Janu-
larry sales Of properties which
have been forfeited for nom
payment Of taxes.
Pay Increases Pressed
On the basis Of spending al.
ready ordered by Congress, cit,
Ioficials believe the District car
lget through the year without
going into the red.
However, wage increase legis.
Ilation which could add between
$4 and $5 million q year to ths
city's spending is now goint
through Congress.
The Senate District Commit.
tee has approved a pay raise fol
teachers estimated to cost $2.'
Az, 900; q rs per cent increas'
for police and f1remen-- retro
active to early March-whic i
figured at 50 million; overtim,
lpay for police and flremen dur
ling the transit strike which couls
cost over 100000 q month. ant
q change in the inheritance ta,
laws which could cost 5000. .00|
or $300,000 q year.
/ Already, Mr.. Lowe pointed out
la subcommittee Of the Hous'
District Committee has adde,
$500, 900 to the cost Of the teach
ers' pay bill. bringing the tota
to $2.78O,000.
| May Add S5 Million
If and when all Of these cleal
both houses Of Congress. tht
city's spending bill for the yea
could have been increased more
than SIS million.
Technically, the Commission
ers are obliged by law to set thu
real estate tax rate high enough
| to cover all spending ordered b.
Congress. So far, they have
avoided setting the rate for tha
current year.
Engineer Com missione Ell
Thomas A. Lane urged them Il
set it July at the old rate
1920 for each 500 Of assessed
yaluationbut his two civiliar
fellow commissioners decided to
wait and see what Congress- does
Covering the whole bill by in
creasing the real estate tax rate
would REQUIRE an increase of 2t
or IS cents to $2.40 or $2.45. Il
lis understood, however, that ne
increase Of more than 10 cents
has been contemplated.
Presumably the difference
would be made up through new
taxes to be considered by Con-
gress when 1t reconvenes II
January - with the possibility
that Congress might also re-
store the So million cut from the
Federal payment to the District
in passing the city's current
budget.
White House Aides
| lnr,,rhkar Ins,,rnd