Windham County Observer

COUNCIL SAVES $1,000 IN ESTIMATES FOR APPROPRIATIONS

Budget for Coming Year Amounts to $27,650 and a Tax Rate of Eight Mills is Recommended---Extra Lighting Not Favored, but Matter is Left to City Meeting ----Mayor's Annual Message

The annual appropriation for the running expenses of the city as estimated by the council at its meeting Monday night is $1,000 lower than for the year previous. The tax levy which they recommended is eight mills instead of 8 1-2. last year's rate. The total amount which is recommended to the city meeting to be held Monday, March 1, is $27,650. Last year it was $28,650. The appropriations for the several departments are as follows:

Fire department, $3,500.
Police department, $3,300.
City Court, $1,500.
Highway, $3,800.
General Expense, $6,500.
Street Lights, $5,600.
City Clerk, $300.
City Treasurer, $300.
Sewer Upkeep, $300.
Janitor, $300.
Fuel and Light, $250.
Total, $27,650.

The several amounts are the same as last year except that the highway department is $3,800 instead of $4,500 the general expense $6,500 instead of $7,000, a saving of $1,200, while the city treasurer is $300 instead of $100. a net saving of $1,000. The salary of the treasurer was increased a few weeks ago. The water work's accounts more than doubled his work and the pay before that was inadequate.

All the members were present at Monday night's meeting except Davis and Larue. Mayor Macdonald presided.

In the matter of more street lights. and all night and every night lighting. asked for in a recent petition signed by 60 business men. the council decided to leave the disposition of it to the city meeting, but making plain that the council did not favor the additional appropriation that the improvement would necessitate. The reading of this article as it appears in the notice for the annual meeting is as follows:

"And further to see if the voters at said meeting desire to vote a special appropriation for additional lights, and all night and every night lighting. (The council does not recommend or favor such additional appropriation at this time.)"

All the members joined in this view. The desirability and advantage of more lights and an every night and all night service were conceded by everyone but it was felt that the extra expense. $1,700 for one proposition or $900 for the other. would be too great a burden at this time.

The petition asking for better police protection was referred to the annual meeting in the same words.

In the discussion that ensued over the question of better police protection the statement was made that the police of the city were being severely blamed in connection with the recent break at Milot & William's store. A motion was adopted by an unanimous vote directing the police committee to have the police officers present at the next meeting of council and such witnesses as might have knowledge of the affair.

The following annual message of Mayor Macdonald was read:

Gentlemen of the Common Council:

For the preparation of your estimates for the annual City Budget for the present fiscal year, to be presented and acted upon by the voters of the City of Putnam at the City meeting to be held on the first day of March of this year. I have but a few recommendations to make.

In the matter of highways. the City is probably in better condition than ever before but the paving on Main street should be continued southerly from Union street to include Union Square. This is undoubtedly our greatest need in highway matters and I urge you, gentlemen, to make provision for this needed improvement as soon as it can be done conveniently.

I recommend that in the near future some action be taken towards providing water meters for our water department, in order that water assessments may be more uniform and equitable.

Of late many petitions have been presented to the Common Council, each requiring a slight extra expense for which no appropriation has been made. These sums, while not large in themselves, must be deducted from the regular appropriations, which were intended and provided for other things. As a result, any one of our departments is apt to overdraw its appropriation. To remedy this. I would suggest the appropriation of a sum to an emergency fund. to be used to defray unusual expenses which are not provided for by the regular appropriations.

Last, and what is to me most important of all, I wish to urge upon you rigid economy, not with the idea of dispensing with anything essential in any of the City departments, but to avoid all waste. The tax-payers of the City have recently been under large expense for needed improvement and now under the present conditions. we ought to be as careful as possible of our expense.

In conclusion, gentlemen, I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for your loyal support during the past year. Now that the City of Putnam has its own water system, its own sewer system, a municipal building and improved streets, it is in a better position, in my opinion. than ever before in its history: and that the City of Putnam may soon enter upon such a period of prosperity as is its due, is my sincere wish and hope.

Respectfully submitted
ARCHIBALD MACDONALD
Mayor.