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Mayors Message Proposes Amendment to the City Charter To the Honorable City Council Gentlemen: It is rather late to make a suggestion for another proposed amendment to the City charter; but I have hoped that so important a matter as tjat to w hich I desire to call your attention would have suggested itself. I am very reluctant to intrude my opinion as the charter revision Committee and your honorable body are bith well equipped to complete the work you have undertaken. I ask however that you incopporate this proposition with those to be published in order that it may be considered. You are aware that the City is in debt over $200,00.00 for current expenses for whose funding no legal method is available even if it were good pubic policy to incur a bonded debt for running expenditure. Next year the City will have no money whatever to run on. except about $160,000.00 derived from licenses fines and fees. The tax levy in September will not be available until the following March and soeach suceeding year wukk carry a heavy interest bearing laod. I calculate that by the proposed amendments there will be raised in addition to sufficient for each ensuing year's expenses, with a levy of two mills extra $88,000.00 down to one mill extra say $44,000.00 even at the present valuation so thae in five years by very easy stages the city will be able to wipe out out its floating indebtedness. You must not shirk this question longer a very serious danger is impending unless foresight is followed by sagacious action. Unless some step is taken now there is no remedy possible until the State Legislature meets in1893, and by that timethe City scrip will have depreciated to a most mischeveous degreee and an embarrassing condition will

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follow. You will not over look the fact that interests are not all one way and that there is a powerful business influence which wuld not suffer by your permitting financial affairs to drift along in their present listless way. The shrewed always profit at the expense of the thriftless. I am sorry you have not seen fit to make some provision for the transient indigent burdens with which we are at times afflicted. It seems to me that as you have approved an appropriation from licenses fines and fees of ten per cent to provide parks and ten per cent to furnish people with books, you could with great propriety the one being an absolute necessity and the two others luxuries, devote ten per cent of the amount drained from the City's profits on the sale of liquors to ridding ourselves of the victums the traffic had made. The Council now gets rid the annoyance of broken down drunkards and the discomfort of refusing bread to the necessities by sending them to me to use my discretion which means usually that I am to dispense charity from my own purse, or apply to you to meet the demand by a course whose legality is doubtful. The care of the sick at the hospital shoudl be provided for out of this proposed fund. (signed) Harry White mayor