City of Bangor Mayor's Address the Annual Reports of the Several Departments and the Receipts and Expenditures for the Municipal Year 1917-1918 Bangor (Me.)

The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Maine Town Documents Maine Government Documents 1918 City of Bangor Mayor's Address The Annual Reports of the Several Departments and the Receipts and Expenditures for the Municipal Year 1917-1918 Bangor (Me.) Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/towndocs Repository Citation Bangor (Me.), "City of Bangor Mayor's Address The Annual Reports of the Several Departments and the Receipts and Expenditures for the Municipal Year 1917-1918" (1918). Maine Town Documents. 6092. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/towndocs/6092 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Maine Town Documents by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CITY OF BANGOR MAYOR’S ADDRESS THE ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS AND THE RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES , FOR THE MUNICIPAL YEAR 1917-1918 . C26I6 Bangor City Government 1917-18 Mayor, JOHN F. WOODMAN ALDERMEN Ward 1. Edward R. Hickson Ward 4. Harry R. Williams Ward 2. Fred A. Porter Ward 5. William D. Matheson Ward 3. Benjamin F. Tefft Ward 6. Frank 0. Youngs Ward 7. Chas. G. O’Connor COMMON COUNCILMEN President, Hayward C. Dunham Ward 1 William P. Flannigan Walter T. Burns James E. McGrath Ward 2 Frank Ryan Henry J. Russell Harry E. Coleman Ward 3 Charles F. Fames Elmer E. McFarland Hilliard E. Johnston Ward 4 Edgar J. Nickerson Frank MacLennan Franklin A. W. Field Ward 5 Hayward C. Dunham Charles C. Sanford Charles F. Winchester Ward 6 Asa T. Grant Frank T. Mason Myer W. Epstein Ward 7 James P. Quine William A. Ryder John P. Mooney Clerk of Board, Thomas G. Donovan i . Mayor’s Address Gentlemen of the City Council: One week ago today at the polls, the citizens of Bangor selected each of you, together with myself, to be their representatives, and in their behalf to do those things which may be necessary to be done, to carry on and maintain the business affairs and public institutions of our city. We enter upon our duties this year under conditions which will require of us the exercise of extreme care and thoughtful consideration in our action upon each and every measure brought before us. I have said “ do those things which may be necessary to be done” and I desire to emphasize those words, especially the word “ necessary.” We are facing a year which will strain to the limit, the financial resources of all our people, and economy must be strictly observed in all our doings, to the end that as small a draft as possible may be made upon the people who pay. A recommendation has been made by the Federal government to all municipalities to endeavor to curtail expenditures, and withhold new construction work as far as possible meaning such work as can be postponed without producing harmful results. Now I do not construe that recommendation to mean that we are to be niggardly, or neglectful of things that require atten tion, or a refusal or failure to spend the public money where the common welfare requires expenditures. In connection there 6 m a y o r ’ s a d d r e s s [1918 with however the government also recommends “ business as usual,” but with a more careful exercise of thrift and economy in conducting it, and the prevention and elimination of all waste. The laborer must have work, the merchant must have trade, and the manufacturer a market for his goods, otherwise the sources of income would cease, and without any income or resources we would all be powerless to render financial assistance for any purpose; and you, and I and all of us, will be called upon and in duty bound, for an indefinite period, to lend, and lend, and give, and give again, and sacrifice in many ways, in order to save to ourselves and our country and state and city, the things which we now possess. I submit for your information, a statement of our financial standing at the close of the last municipal year and I think you will be well satisfied that under all the circumstances and the unusual conditions of war and weather, business was well con ducted by the city council of last year. FINANCIAL STATEMENT A rate of taxation is based upon the amount of money necessary to be raised to meet fixed charges and current expenses of the city for the whole municipal year. Estimates are made of the sums needed with which to pay the running expenses in the several departments, and to pay interest in temporary loans and municipal bonds and pay maturing bonds or obligations, and to pay state and county taxes. Upon such estimates the tax rate for last year was fixed at 2.70 or $27.00 on $1000 of property. The rate was unusually high because of estimated increase in expenses. The rate of increase was $4.00 on $1000. higher than the rate of the previous year. Why was it considered necessary? 1918] m a y o r ’ s a d d r e s s 7 The increase in State taxes was (a 23% increase).......................... $28,717 51 The increase in county taxes was (a 50% increase)........................ 16,319 64 For a new school house in ward three (Our increase in tax rate was but 1 4 % ..................................................................................... 30,000 00 These items alone amount to................................................. $75,035 15 or three-fourths of the amount that would be raised by the increase in the tax rate, and in addition to those items was the increase in the salaries of the school teachers, wages of laborers, and policemen and firemen and others, and the increase in cost of all materials and supplies. What was done by the administration of last year? First, all bills against the city so far as known (and they were called in'by advertisement in the daily papers) were paid. By the exercise of strict economy during the year we were able to do this and have the following in reserve for use for the ensuing year: Unexpended balance for the new school building........................... $21,529 56 To pay for the increased insurance upon school buildings............. 4,000 00 To pay for the police patrol wagon (new)................... 3,200 00 Balance for the moth extermination fund........................................ 382 13 By a new provision of the city ordinances, the surplus of the water department..................................................................... 29,111 69 funds remaining after paying all running expenses and sink ing fund addition, are set aside as a contingent fund for the sole use of the department, and such surplus is ............ 4,606 12 and we shall have approximately (the exact amount cannot be given just now) a cash balance of...................................... 13,000 00 In addition to this we were able to pay back to the sink ing fund the amount due to it, by borrowing several years ago, or................................................................................ 20,000 00 For the coming year there will be maturing which we must pay, municipal bonds for.......................................................... 10,000 00 and the balance of the cost for the new school house, ($30,000.00 appropriated last year)....................................... 30,000 00 8 m a y o r ’ s a d d r e s s [1918 and further estimates for natural increases in the cost of operat ing materials and supplies and contingencies, CITY’S BORROWING CAPACITY When I came back into this office as your chief magistrate, the conditions of affairs was such that the city was financially over- the-top, and could not borrow a cent on its treasury notes, or make a loan that was not to be included in the taxes for the year. Today it has a borrowing capacity of S70,000.00, not counting the sum of $111,648.68 now in the sinking fund. For days back “ Boost Bangor” has been the cry of those active in the movement for a new chamber of commerce, and one of the material helps in boosting would seem to be the ability to show to the outside world that the credit of the city of Bangor as a municipal corporation is sound and ample for all needs. Banks do not recognize the sinking fund as a fund affecting the city’s credit by increasing its borrowing capacity, but we have the money, and money talks, and with it we could buy and retire over $111,000 worth of our own bonds, or invest that amount in securities allowable by our water loan Act of the Legislature. The city of Portland has a committee on the reduction of the city debt, which has charge of such funds, and under the pro visions of their city ordinances the committee is authorized to lend, on interest, to the city treasurer, any amount in its hands which may not be immediately needed for the purchase or redemption of municipal debt. STREETS, A PROBLEM In commenting upon our public affairs about the first thing that any one mentions, is the condition of the streets and high I 1918] m a y o r ’ s a d d r e s s 9 ways, and invariably the remarks are filled with severe criticism, never with commendation, always demanding improvements and better streets, but never suggesting what to do or how to do it. It is a hard problem in a city like this, and the man who could solve it satisfactorily would be blessed by the whole community. Natural conditions in Bangor present powerful obstacles and hindrances to the maintenance of good streets, as for instance, the abundance of shade trees which prevent quick drying after rains, and the soft condition allowing them to become deeply rutted.

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