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Judgments, costs, etc. | 519.86 |
Pauper Expense | 876.50 |
Street sprinkling | 3,394.40 |
Miscellaneous expenses | 1,048.64 |
Public Schools | 89,94[0 or 1?].69 |
Bond interest and exchange | 147,621.09 |
Sinking fund envested | 4,035.45 |
City Park | 1, 879.42 |
Water supply | 57,745.00 |
Jennings avenue viaduct | 11,906.43 |
Carnegie library | 3,999.99 |
Opening of East Ninth Street | 709.91 |
Bridges, culverts and gutters | 4,755.99 |
Paving | 3,756.95 |
$479 ,508.40 |
The city is to be congratulated, that at the end of this fiscal year, after having passed through the financial difficulties that have burdened it for years, it finds itself in a position to be upon a cash basis with all its creditors and its financial condition in a most hopeful state; for under the system that has been practised by this administration, which has adopted the motto of "Pay as you go, and avoid Bond issues",. Fort Worth enters into the new fiscal year assured that its financial troubles are nearing the end.
Four years ago the City of Fort Worth entered upon an era of permanent improvements, and money therefor had to be appropriated in the budget, necessitating a failure to pay interest charges on the public debt and an increasing of the tax rate by legislature enactment from $1.50 to $1.75 on the one hundred dollars valuation of property in Fort Worth. No bonds could be issued and the city was in a deplorable condition through lack of streets and water supply, and the administration wisely chose the course of making these improvements and defering payment on the city's bonded indebtedness. The result has justified the means; for during the four years of this policy of permanent improvements has been pursued by the council; the valuation of the property of the city has steadily increase, starting at $16.186.609 in 1900 and successively increasing to $16.482.035 in 1901, $18.873.729 in 1902, $20.955.383 in 1903. This increase in valuation, taxed at the
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rate of $1.75 enabled the city council to make the following remarkable showing in permanent improvements during the four years that this administration has held office: to-wit:-
Viaduct across the Texas and pacific tracks | $100,364 | |
Waterworks improvements (supply) | 82,500 | |
Cash in waterworks fund | 39,000 | |
Permanent extensions | 34,352 | |
Electric light improvements | 18,663 | |
Paid on meters installed | 41,031 | |
Not due but carried forward as due | 32,578 | |
Paid off obligations | 86.313 | |
Refunded bonds annual saving | 15.640 | |
Main street paving, city paid | 12.700 | |
Houston street paving cash to pay | 15.000 | |
Storm sewers built | 7,466 | |
School biuildings | 12,000 | |
Total improvements paid for, or which | ||
resources to pay | $497.607 |
Bonded Debt. The outstanding bonded debt of the city on the 10' day of April 1900 amounted to $1,919,000. bearing interest at the rates of 5,6,& 7 per centum, amounting to the sum of $110.300. annually. At this time there are outstanding $1,832.000. of which $513.000. bears interest at the rate of 4 per centum per annum, and the annual interest charges amounts to the sum of $966,690.00 $96.690.00.
The 2nd Series of Bonds issued September 1st 1884, for Sewerage and and Street Improvement, bearing 7 % interest, of which there are $73.000 outstanding will be due September 1st of this year, and the 1st Series Redemption Bonds issued May 1st 1893 for the purpose of retiring the 1st Series bonds, bearing 6% interest of which there are $109.000. outstanding, are subject to call at any interest period. I therefore recommend that steps be taken to dispose of the same amount of 1st Series Refunding Bonds now held by the Comptroller of Public Accounts of this State, the proceeds of which to be used in retiring the aforesaid bonds. This will save the city in interest charges of the sum of $4,370.00 annually.
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ment.
Bond Issues.
The experience of the last four years has demonstrated to my mind that bond issues, except in cases of great emergency of public calamity, are unnecessary in cities that have reached the growth of Fort Worth. I regard bond issues as curses that hang like millstones around the neck of the progress of any municipality, and to beavoided wherever possible. In the early history of a city bond issues may be justified, but the experience of Fort Worth has shown conclusively to my mind that they can be avoided and better results obtained by going slowly and "paying as you go."
Public Schools.
Public education is the noblest function of the city government. The rising generation must be educated for the duties and responsibilities of citizenship, and while much of this can be done by private schools, the masses must depend on public
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schools for an education, and the problem of public education in municipalities is to get the best results in the expenditure of the public money for the masses in general.
During the first week of the present session there was an attendance in our public schools of 4015 pupils. This attendance increased until in November there were present 4510 pupils. There are 104 teachers employed and each teacher had an average of 46 pupils. The entire enrollment for the session up to the present time has been 5467. This shows a very large increase over the attendance during the session four years ago; and, notwithstanding the increase and pressure for school room, all of the school children desiring education in the public schools have been well cared for.
The great demand of the schools at this juncture is more buildings and teachers, and, if possible, the City Council must give new schoolhouses in the very near future.
Manual training and Domestic science.
Of the additional branches added during the current session to the heretofore regular literary studies, it is with the greatest satisfaction that I am enabled to mention Manual training and Domestic science--the workshop for the boys, the cooking school for the girls. Manual training adds precision to the brain work and eye work; domestic science adds to the attainments and usefulness of girl pupils.
It is a favorite maxim of the present Superintendent of our public schools that there should be an equal cultivation of the head, heart and hand; and these branches--manual training and domestic science--are very largely taken advantage of by our high school pupils. It is true that these two branches are yet in their infancy, and the school board has been unable to make the appropriations as large as it would have liked, but so far the new departments have been a great success and will be continued during the next term of our public schools. It is believed that
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the manual training will do much toward keeping the boys in the high school, thereby causing a much larger number of them to graduate at the end of the full course; and this is a consummation that would be pleasing to the school board and everyone connected with public education in this city.
Police department.
The report of W. M. Rea, City Marshal, which has been filed with the Council, shows that the numerical strength of the police department is thirty-three, including the chief and his assistant. That this force is too small for a city of forty-five thousand persons is apparent to anyone who makes a study of municipal conditions.
The City Marshal makes a recommendation--in addition to asking for an increase in his force--something be done in regard to the condition of the City courtroom; and I must submit to your Honorable Body that the condition under our city hall is one of the very first things that should be remedied by an appropriation, and, if possible, in the coming budget for this year ways and means should be devised to remedy this disgrace upon the fair name of our city.
Fire department.
The report of the Fire Chief shows this department of our city government to be in first class condition so far as it goes; and the recommendation of the chief that some extra men be added to the department is founded upon justice and upon the reasonable demands of the service. A large portion of the South Side of our city without adequate fire protection, and the recommendations of the chief of the department should be taken up and carefully weighed and if possible granted by the City Council.