To The Tax-payers

The commoD cojneü of the city of Xnn Arbor haviug callcd a meeting of the tax payers of the city, on Monday, June 4th, at Firemen's hall, for the purpose of voting a tax of $5,000 for general purposee, it is proper that the tax-paying electora of the city should be informed of the state of the city's finances, which renders this request for 85,000 extra appropriation necessary. The appropriation is asked to pay the Decessary ordinary expenses of the city government. No extra expense to the city is contemplated. The city treasury is empty, and the council while lopping off all unnccessary expenses, beheves that the city will be unable this year, although uaing all the money levied for next year'a expenses, to meet the current necessary expenses of the year's government. The council can raise by taxation outside of the $6,000 allowed to be raised for ward purposes, the sum of $13,000. The liquor tax coming to the city this year will probably amount to $6,704.33 of wbich $5,565.83 has been paid in to the county treasury. TUis will give the city $19,704.33 with whioh to run the city government a year. Before the old council adjourned, and af ter the annual report it ordered warrants drawn amounting to $6,505.72, whioh materially lessens the amount available for the balance of the year. The receipts of the city government include the following items which cannot be used for general putposea: Water works fund, 85,000 Street fund Í, 000- $7,000 which leaves $12,704,33 to pay for electric lighting, salaries of marshal, recorder city attorney, health officer, patrolmen, etc., the care of the city poor.the fire tlepartment, expenses of holding elections, and the many necessary incidental expenses a city, no matter how economically managed, is obliged to incur. The contract for street lighting already made oalls for $6,662.40 a year which uses up more than half the email amount available for the general and contiügent funds. The treasury is empty because preceding councils have found it necessary to appropriate more money than they re ceived. In 1886-7, the expenditures ex ceeded the receipts by $3,817.26, and dur ing this term the treasury was still fur ther depleted by the loss of $2,200 througk the treasurer. There is no money now in the treasury available for any othe than ward purposes, and the general func is overdrawn $3,928.93. In addition t this lamentable financial condition, th receipts for the year will be mach smalle than for previous years, owing to the fac that half of the liquor tax now goes to the county. The receipts from the liquor tax in 1885 were $11,018.70 ; in 1886 they were $11,703.45, and in 1887, 9,885.39. The receipts this year from this source will b $4,000 less than the average receipts for the past three years, at the same time the necessary expenses have been increased by the making of a contract for electric lighting by which the city is obliged to pay $6,602.40 for street lighting. In 1885-6, the total expense ofstreet liglitingwa$2r636.46 öfwhich $1,18566 waa paicTfor gas, $860 for electno lights, and $580.80 for gaeoline. It will be secn that this council is obligated to pay $4,000 more or lighting without being permitted to ncrease the taxation one cent exoept by a vote of the tax-payers and with a cerainty of $4,000 in the receipts. To show that the council is not asking or money for unnecessary expenses, we may add that the expenditures for the ast two years have been much larger ban will be the amount available for this ouncil even if the $5,000 tax be voted. The disbursements in 1886 were $!!1,686.61. The disbursements in 1887 were ;36,574.64. The estímate of the flnance ommittee made to the council, under intructions to report only the necessary xpênsi is that $26,772.00 will be required o run theoity governmcntthis year. 13eow this it will be impossible to reduco be expenses.] It ïb proper to state that the poor of be city oost eaoh year over $2,000. In 885 they cost $2,783.96. In 1886 they ost $2,320.99, and in 1887, $2,201.91. The ire department.costs annually $1,400 and ihis amount is needed to secure any effliency at all in the department. The expenses of the pólice department have been educed to the lowest liniits. The salaies of the city officers, already imall, are ixed by charter and cannot be reduced. The request for $5,000 is not made witbout due consideration by the counil and it is the uaanimous opinión of its membors that this amount is absolutely necessary. The valuation of the city is larger this year than last, and $2,146 for court house bonds will not be included in the city's levy this fall. The amount of the county tax owing to the liquor money now paid in to the county will be only two-thirds as great as formerly. In view of these facts and the further fact that the amount is absolutely necessary to pay running expensas, the council asks that your ballot next Mondny may read "For the tax of 85,000- Yes." ,■