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At a regular meeting o~ the
<br />there were present:
<br />
<br /> Vernon A. Brooks, Leslie T. Fox,
<br /> Oast, Archibald 0gg.
<br /> City ~anager.
<br />
<br />City Council held July 25th, 1933, at 8:00 P.M.,
<br />
<br /> W.R. Hutchins, Arthur Mayo, S.B. Moore, J. Alden
<br />
<br /> ~inutes of regular meeting held July llth, were read and approved.
<br />
<br /> The following communications from the City Manager were read:
<br />
<br /> 1st - 'In my letter to you of May 23rd, recommending s lO~'reduction in water
<br />rates, etC., I advised that it would be necessary to reduce payments to the Sinking Fund in
<br />order to make the reductions.
<br /> I wrote Thompson, Wood & Hoffman, New York attorneys (who have handled and
<br />approved legal questions in the past in connection with bonds issued.by the Water Depar~tment)
<br />for their opinion as to what reductions could be safely made by the Water Department, in an-
<br />nual payments to the Sinking Fund. I was s~ivised by Thompson, Wood & Hof~man t~uder date of
<br />July 21st that they could not recommend~that the amount s et aside annually be reduced below
<br />$33,500.-00. They further advised that, based on information I gave them that this amount
<br />should be sufficient to meet requirements of the Water Sinking ~ond, asstuming that the Sink-
<br />lng Fund e~rns at least ~ per annum. The SinkLug Ftmd has for the past ,several years earned
<br />an average of ~ per ~num.
<br /> In view of the eoncttrrence of Thompson, Wood and Hoffmm~, I recommend that
<br />the annual payments t~ the Sinking Fund of the Water Department, be reduced from $~6,000;~0
<br />to $33,500°00 per year, effective January let, 1933. Mr. Barclay, City Attorney, advises
<br />that he sees no objection to this reduction.'
<br /> Motion of Mr. Fox that we ooncum in the Manager's recommendation, provided that
<br /> if at any time the Sinking Fund does not earn 4~, the appropriation shall be increased by a
<br /> sufficient amount to cover the same, was adopted, and by the following vote:
<br />
<br /> Ayes: B~ooks, Fox, Hutchins, Mayo, Moore, 0asr, Ogg - ~.
<br />
<br /> Nays: None.
<br />
<br /> 2nd - ~ As requested by you recently, I wrote the Honorable S.L. Slover, Mayor of
<br />NorfOlk, under date of July 12th, 1933, that Portsmouth was ready and willing te sell the
<br />City of Norfolk one-third interest in the ferries on a fair basis.
<br /> I ~m attaching, as information, copy of my letter to Ma~or Slover, dated
<br />July 12th, 1933.'
<br />
<br /> Motion of Mr. Ogg to approve the Mmuager's action, was adopted.
<br />
<br /> Mr. Brooks suggested that the Manager request a reply to his communication and re-
<br />fer same to the Council.
<br />
<br /> 3rd - 'In handling for collection the numerous apparent shortages of penalties
<br />and interest payments on taxes, which were referred to you with my letter of February 28th,
<br />the following Lvregularity has been detected.
<br /> Tax r. eceipt $?137 was issued by the former Collector on October 17th',1932
<br />for $93~.5~ Office receipt of stub of this t~x tickst was changed in the Collector's o~fice
<br />before the amount was remitted, to show that $870.33 had been collected,~iDst~ad of
<br />collected. Only $8~0.33 was remitted or deposited and the difference of $6~.25, or shortage
<br />in this collection, has not been remitted to date. When this dif£erence was detected, I asked
<br />Mr. parker, City Collector, to interview Miss Hutcheson for the purpose of securing an expla-
<br />nation of this difference or shortage of $64.26, and why the total amount collected was not
<br />remitted. Mr. Parker interviewed Miss Hutcheson and advised me under date of July 22nd that
<br />Miss Hutcheson stated to him that there was an accumulated cash shortage in the office of
<br />$6~.26, and that this tax collection was reduced by this amount to cover the shortage. Miss
<br />Hutcheson ~urther advised Mr. Parker that this was probably not 2he correct way to handle the
<br />shortage, but she did what appeared to her to be the best at th~time.
<br /> In view of the property owner holding a tax receipt for the amount paid
<br /> of $9~.5~ fsr taxes, for the year 1931, I suggest that you authorize th~ correction of the
<br /> City 0ollector's records to the amount collected, also that you authorize the charging off of
<br /> the difference of .$64.26 to profit and loss, as an unexplained cash shortage in the Collec-
<br /> tor's o~fice or advise disposition you wish made of this difference.'
<br />
<br /> Motion o~ Mr. Mayo to concur in the Manager's recommendation to charge off the
<br /> difference of $6~.26 to Profit and Loss, was adopted, and by the following vote:
<br />
<br /> Ayes: Fox, Hutchins, Mayo, Moore, Oast, Ogg - 6.
<br /> Nays: None.
<br /> Mr. B~ooks excused from voting.
<br /> ~th -- 'The Oity Collector has prepared, in accordance with my request,a statement
<br /> showing all real estate taxes due and unpaid as of July lOth, 1933. This statement shows the
<br /> name of owner, address and amour, t due for ~xes by years on each piece of property. The un-
<br /> collected taxes as of July 10th, according to this statement, amount to $580,~33.11.
<br /> There are quite a few unpaid tax tickets which we have been unable to as-
<br /> sig~ to any person or piece of oroperty. I will make a complete reoort on these tickets at
<br /> an early date, at which time I ~ill suggest disposition to be made ~f these uncollected and un-
<br /> which-were charged to the 0ollector some years cast.
<br /> assignable ~axes, In view of the large amount of uncolledted ta~es due and unpaid at this
<br /> time and the decline in tax payments, during the cast year or more, i am instructing the 0ity
<br /> Collector to immediately levy and collect rents f~om all revenue-producing.propert2 on.which
<br /> taxes are delinquent. I ~ also notLfyinE all city employees that they mus~ pa~ their ~elin-
<br /> ouent taxes oromotly, aha hereafter pay ~heir taxes when due. In addition to ~his, I recommend
<br />
<br />
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