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December 23, 1930
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<br /> $65,0OO. Iess them the budget is at pre~entw after the Council has deducted approximately
<br /> $15,000. - from my bulget as presented~ what suggestions wouldI make, in an effort to absorb
<br /> thi's $65~OO0. in order to-hold th'e tax rate ~t-~$2.65, on. the basis of the recent assessment
<br /> which represents an approximate loss of $4,350,000. ~
<br />
<br /> In order that-I may make myself clear, it is-to be~understocd by the Council that
<br /> the suggestions herein contained are by no means my recommendations, as my budget, as submitted,
<br /> contained my best thought and judgment, based~ on my many years experience in the field of
<br /> municipal work, and permit me_to say that~I have viewed our municipal service from every
<br /> possible angle and believe thatour citizens-would not be content with less service than they
<br /> now receive, and if Properly'distributed throughout the entire city, asthe service must be,
<br /> I believe a ~at would cause complaint to such an extent that the citizens would not feel
<br /> ~they were receiving the service to which they were justly ~ntitled.
<br />
<br /> Let me direct your attention to the following ~acts. The operating expenses'for
<br /> ~Oity i~.1~25 was $622,2~3.01, in t 2 . it amounted ~ ~ ~- ~o~ o~^,.~ +~
<br /> m ~ ear ~x es · ~ ~' tO ~,~_.~, ~ ~ov~ ~ne sa~e,
<br /> .~ .~ gum .ar~ ~ot y~t available. The budget as submitted for lq~l ~hnw~ ~ a=~w~o~
<br />
<br /> and Water D~ ~ ..... -~-- - _ ~ -- -r -~- ..... ',~,~v.vp ~ess, er a momal of City
<br /> -~-. ~ge~ ,~eore~se of $13,37~.55 over 1~30-. For your rely information the 0ity
<br /> now h~s 52 miles of sewer mains, 28 miles of which have been laid within the past ten years.
<br /> Our forces also construct the house connections from the house to the curb, the tota/ length
<br /> of the maims and connections w~ll easily reach 85 miles, Wenow have 2~ miles of curb*and
<br /> curb pavement to keep-olean amd 27 miles of-paved gu~ter~ on dirt streets. The sweeping
<br /> and cleaning of these streets and repairing this increased sewer system,. I believe is done
<br /> at a minimum cost; There are 66 miles of unimproved roadways in our City to keep in condition
<br /> for reasonable travel, 124 miles of dirt roadway gutters. The collection of trash and garbage
<br /> is no small problem in a city the size of P~rtsmouth. The maintenance of sidewalks, trimming
<br /> of trees, operation of incinerator, police .and firs protection, and many other items of service
<br /> which, if provided in a measure too small, will greatly discomfort our citizens.
<br />
<br /> Again, for your ready information, which you may use as a guide to the service
<br /> ou~ City is furnishing, ~ submit the following 'per capita~'oosts recently from the press
<br /> of the Auditor of Public Accounts at Richmond, on Virginia cities:
<br />
<br /> Gen. ~ovt. Protection Health & Recreation Education
<br /> .. Costs Persons & Pry. Sanitation
<br />Norfolk 2.13 6.80 2.48 .5~ 7.81
<br />Portsmouth 1.41 3.2? 1~4~ .27 5.g6
<br />Richmond 2.60 6.03 2.6~ 1.O2 10.32
<br />Lynchburg 2.56 5.66 2.50 1.1g 12.08-
<br />Roanoke 2.48 5-3? 2.14 .58 9.30
<br />Petersburg 2.42 4.00 1i91 .58 ?.~1
<br />Newpor~ News 3.~1 3.~1 1.4~ .21 (not listed)
<br /> The budget, as presented by me represents the figures of experienced Department
<br />he,ds- their estimates being based on past experience of needs, and I believe their requests
<br />Were~ea~gnable, after they had gone over each item. I then gave twenty-five hours or longer
<br />to the ty of their requests and cut from same the sum of $50,316.00..Afte~ submitting
<br />the budget to the 0ounctl, your body has spent meetings totaling approximately tWenty-five
<br />hours, and each individual item has been g~ne over and discussed and approximately $15,000.
<br />has been deducted. After this most careful examination, I. hardly know what to mention, other
<br />than the following~
<br />
<br />After spending the
<br />
<br />entire day ,eviewfng the budget,
<br />
<br />Playgrounds
<br /> Chamber of Commerce
<br />League of Va. Municipalities
<br />Books for Library
<br />~ensions
<br />Kings D~,ughters Hospital
<br />Eo~e for .Aged
<br />OrPhan Asylum
<br />MlllerDay Nursery
<br />
<br />$3,102.50
<br />1,0OO.00
<br />5OO.OO
<br />5oo.oo
<br />763.0o
<br /> 9 .oo
<br /> l .oo
<br /> 96.00
<br /> 33.00
<br />
<br />find these items-
<br />
<br />IOU'
<br />OU'
<br />OU'
<br />OU'
<br /> ~ cut
<br /> ~ cut
<br /> cut
<br /> ~ cut
<br /> S cut
<br />
<br /> $30,761.60 of t~e $65,O00.'would have to be absorbed b the P blic
<br />and above what has ~een dtduct ,~ +~ ~ .... ~ ........ Y .. u School s, over
<br />oitM emnlo-e~ a~n~+~- ~ed b~.~,~ ~, ~ ~n audition, eisner cut salaries
<br /> - .---~ ~ ~--~m ~ or l~ . · of every
<br /> · ~ .Y .~, =y CZ[ suf~zcment em lo ecs t
<br />In~ezther event~ in my om~nton +~= ............ P Y' o take care of the amount.
<br /> ~-= , -~ ~vAO~ ~0 ~ne citizens would be ' '
<br />co~ng to the most modern thouzht, efficiency ~ =~,,~,~ ~. great1? mmpaired and ac-.
<br />SO ~ard to m i ' - '- ---~ -- ~ ....... -~ opsra$lon, which we amc '
<br /> a nta~n and. improve, Wmll natural1 . strmving
<br />raising production ~osts. y be decreased, with a strong possibility of
<br />
<br />Yours ~ruly,
<br />
<br />Frank C. Hanrahan, City Manager."
<br />
<br />Messrs. J. Davis Reed, T. B. Lee, F. D. Lawrence, and ~. K. Hodges spoke on the Budget.
<br />
<br /> ?
<br /> On motion, ad3ourned'
<br />
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