Why It Is Wanted

The flnance committee, under intructions from the common council, as iaaued the folio wingfinancial statement givinss the reasons, why the ax-payera are asked to vote a tax of $5,000. Tb tlie tax-payers: The Common Council of the city of Ann Arbor haviug called a meeting of he tax-payers of the city on Monday, June 4th, at the Fireman's Hall for the purpose of voting a tax of $5,000 for general purposes, it is proper that the ;ax-paying electors of the city should )e informed concerning the state of the city's finanees which renders this request for 35,000 extra appropriation necessary. The appropriation is asked to pay the ; necessary ordinary expenses of the city government. No extra expense to the city.is contemplated. The city treasury is erapty and the council, while lopping off all unnecessary expense, believes that the city will be unable this year, although using all the nioney levied for next year's expenses, to meet the current 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 o $6,704.33 of wbich $5,566.83 has been paid into the county treasury. This will give the city $19,704.33 with which to run the city government, a year. Bef ore the old council adjourned it ordered warrants drawn amountiug to $6,504.72, which 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 purposes: Water works f und $5,000 Street fund S2,000-J7,000 which leaves $12,704.33 to pay for electric lighting, salaries of marshal. recorder, city attorney, health officer, city engineer, board of health, patrolman, etc, the care of the city poor, the flre department, expenses of holding elections, and the many necessary incidental expenses a city, no matter how economically managed, is obliged to meet. The contract for street lightiLg already made calis for $6,662.40 a year which uses up more than half the small amount available for the general and Contingent f unds. The treasury is empty because preceding councils have found it necessary to appropriate more money than they received. In 1886-7 the expenditures exceeded the receiptsby$2,579.91. In 1887-8 they exceeded the receipts by $3,817.26 and during this time the treasury was still f urther depleted by the loss of $2,200, through the treasurer. There is no money now in the treasury available for any other than ward purposes and the general fund is overdrawn $3,928.93. In addition to this lamentable financial condition, the receipts for the year wil be much;smaller than for previous years, owing to the fact that ,lialf of the liquor tax now goes to the county. The receipts from the liquor tax in 1885 were $11,018,70. In 1886 they irere 11,703.45 and in 1887, $9,885.39. The receipts this year from this source will be some $4,000 less than the average receipts for the past three years. At the sanie time, the necessary expenses have been increased by the making of a contract for electric lighting by which the city is obligated to pay $6,662.40 a year for street lighting. In 1885-6, the total expense of street lightingwas $2,626.46, of which $1,185,66 was paid for gas, $860 for electric liglits, and $580.80 for gasoline. It will be seen that this council is obligated to pay $4,000 more for lighting, without being permitted to increase the taxation one cent except by a vote of the taxpayers, and with a certainty oí $4,000 decrease in the receipts. To show that the council is not askiiig for money for unnecessary expenses, we may add that the expenditures for the past two years have been much larger than will be the arnount available for this council, even if the $5.000 tax be voted. The disbursements in 1886 were 831,686.61. The disbursements in 1887 were $36,574.64. The estímate of the finance commlttee made to the council, under instructions to report only the necessary expense is, that $26,772 will be required to run the city government this year. Below this, it will be impossible to reduce the expenses. It is proper to state that the poor of the city cost each year over $2,000. In 1885 they cost $2,783.96, in 1886, $2,320.99 and in 1887, $2,201.91. The flre department costs annually over $1,400 and this amount is needed to secure any efficiency at all iu the department. The expenses of the pólice department have been reduced to the lowest limits. The salaries of the city ofiicers, already small, are flxedby the charter and cannot be reduced. The request for $5,000 is not made without due consideration by the council and it is the unanimous opinión of its members 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 the county will be only twothirds as great as formerly. In view of these facts and the further fact that the amount is absolutely necessary to pay running expenses the council asks that your ballot next Monday may read "For the tax of $5,000- Yes."