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City's Finances Reviewed. Audit of Accounts for Year Ending December 31, 1917, Shows Condition of Municipal Treasury-Indebtedness Materially Reduced Since Being Funded-Expenditures of Various Departments Itemized. Exhibit "C." Donaldsonville, La., February 14, 1918. CASH RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS To the Honorable Mayor and Members of the FOR YEAR ENDING DEC. 31, 1917. Commission Council, Donaldsonville, La. Gentlemen-I beg to submit to you a re$ 2612.20 Balance December 31, 1916 port of the financial condition of the city of RECEIPTS. Donaldsonville for the year ending December Taxes, 1915 $ 32.40 31, 1917, consisting of the following exhibits 3211.05 Taxes, 1916 and schedules showing the receipts and dis7618.50 Taxes, 1917 bursements, the earnings and expenses for 25.00 Licenses, 1916 the year, and the assets and liabilities of the 8004.00 Licenses, 1917 city as at Dec. 31, 1917: 1300.00 Market revenue Exhibit "A." -Assets and liabilities as at 568.31 Wharf revenue December 31, 1917. Schedule 1, unpaid 117.00 Rents taxes 1917: schedule 2, accounts receivable: 314.50 Fines schedule 3, unpaid taxes 1912: schedule 4, 46.87 Int. on del. taxes unpaid taxes 1913; schedule 5, unpaid taxes 13.50 Penalties 1914; schedule 6, unpaid taxes 1915; schedMiguel Acosta, (for street u!e 7, unpaid taxes 1916; schedule 8, charges 150.00 cleaning outfit) written off in 1917; schedule 9, certificates 1.25 Miscellaneous revenue of indebtedness outstanding: schedule 10, 64.49 Ph. of Ascension paving certificates outstanding: schedule 11, 500.00 Vig. Hose Co. No. 3 notes payable; schedule 12, accounts payable. Temp. loan, Bank of Exhibit "B"-Revenues and expenditures 1200.00 Ascension for the year ending December 31, 1917. 23155.87 1.50 Accounts receivable Schedule 13, detail of expenses. Exhibit "C"-Cash receipts and disburse$25768.07 Total receipts ments for the year. DISBURSEMENTS. ASSETS AND LIABILITIES. Exhibit "A" together with schedules 1 to $1740.02 Accounts payable 12 show in detail the assets and liabilities of 5257.18 Pay-rolls 4236.16 the city as shown by the books on DecemNotes payable ber 31, 1917. 199.14 Int. on notes payable UNPAID TAXES. P'ments to Mun. L. and Schedule 1 shows the taxes of 1917 unW. Com 640.97 paid on December 1, 1917. As the taxes for 131.46 B. Lemann & Bro., Inc. 3000.00 the year only commence to be collected after Trans. to cer. red. fd. the tax rolls are turned in by the city as2215.00 Trans. to int. coupon fd. sessor late in October or November, it is 10.00 Lic. No. 738 refunded reasonable that a large portion of the taxes 21066.22 Tr. to int. and sink. fd. 3636.30 will lap over into the first few months of the following year. The delinquency in pay$ 4701.85 Balance December 31, 1917 ment, however, is compensated by exacting INTEREST AND SINKING FUND. interest on deferred payments and imposing $ 3754.43 Balance Dec. 31, 1916 penalties. RECEIPTS. Schedules 3 to 7 show the unpaid taxes 53.23 for the years 1912 to 1916. As will be $ Int. on bank bal. 3689.53 3636.30 noted, these amounts are very small and in Trans. from gen. fd. most of the cases bear upon properties which $ 7443.96 have been either sold to the state or to the Total receipts city for taxes. I would call attention to the DISBURSEMENTS. fact that heretofore the sale of the proper$2775.00 Tr. to int. coupon fd ties to the city for taxes has been the clos3775.00 1000.00Bond No. 1 redeemed ing chapter in such transactions; no steps have been taken to derive revenues from $ 3668.96 Balance December 31, 1917 such properties or to enter them into final possession of the city when the statutory ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE. period has elapsed. (Schedule 2) ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE. $ 12.50 South Louisiana Fair Association Schedule 2 shows the accounts receivable 38.16 Cecilien Esneault, wharfmaster in detail. Donaldson Hotel Co 79.00* VIGILANT HOSE CO. NO. 3. 150.00 Burnside & Donaldsonville Pkt. Co The item of $3500 represents balance due 45.85 Texas & Pacific Railway Co. to the American LaFrance Fire Engine Co., 4.50 Parish of Ascension Inc., for one combination chemical engine and hose motor car, burchased in accordance Total $330.01 with resolution of the commission council This account represents an indebtedness passed April 10, 1916, and which is to be due by the Donaldson Hotel Co., for meters paid by Vigilant Hose Co. No. 3, and for installed when the hotel was built. The atwhich a certificate of indebtedness has been tention of the commissioners heretofore has issued by the city (see contingent liabilibeen repeatedly called to the failure of payties) ment of this item, and the bill has been CERTIFICATES OF INDEBTEDNESS. repeatedly placed in the hands of the city Schedule 9 shows in detail the semi-ancollector, but it would seem he has been unnual interest-bearing coupon certificates of able to effect a collection. indebtedness outstanding. This indebtedness was funded March 1, 1915, in the sum DEFICIENCY ACCOUNT. of $48,700, and it will be noted that the in(Schedule 8) debtedness has been reduced from year to Liabilities written off: year to the present sum of $42,800. $3000 of these certificates mature March 1, 1918. Dec. 31, 1917- Interest accrued and I would strongly urge that default be to Dec. 31, 1918, on paving cernot made in the continued reduction of this tificate of $2000 held by the Bank debt. The interest rate is 5 per cent. of Donaldsonville in LiquidaSchedule 10 shows in detail the paving certion, certificate being this day tificates outstanding. One of these certifiset off against general and bond cates for $2000 which was held by the Bank fund balances as of date of failof Donaldsonville in Liquidation, has been 291.78 ure of the bank, Nov. 22, 1913 $ set-off on our books against the bond fund Interest over-estimated and balance on deposit with said bank. The balcharged as per accrued interest ance represents two certificates held by 2.43 schedules for 1915 and 1916 Ernest Langbecker of this city which have Donaldsonville Fire Department; been permitted to run since 1907 without appropriations accrued and credit. any reduction. As these certificates bear 8 1550.00 ed. and unpaid per cent and are an interest drain on our resources. I would strongly recommend that Total $ 1844.21 they be taken up at the earliest possible Assets written off: moment. Old accounts uncollectable, writNOTES AND ACCOUNTS PAYABLE. ten off as per resolution of comSchedu es 11 and 12 show in detail the mission council, meeting of notes outstanding and the open accounts $ 384.58 February 12, 1917 unpaid at December 31, 1917. 50 per cent allowance on indebtEARNINGS AND EXPENSES edness of South Louisiana Fair Exhibit "B" together with schedule 13 to wharfmaster as per comproshows in detail the earnings and expenses 25.96 mise of Sept. 8, 1917 for the year ending Dec. 31, 1917. L. J. Landry, wharfmaster, balCASH. 97.35 ance unpaid and uncollectable Exhibit "C" shows the cash balance on Taxpayers 1911-12-13-14-15-10, December 31, 1916, the receipts and diserroneous and duel assessments, bursements for the year 1917, and the bal427.50 as per auditor's schedules ances on December 31, 1917, which were as follows: $ 875.39 Total On deposit in Bank of Ascension to the credit of Excess of liabilities written off General Fund $4701.85 $ 968.82 over assets written off 3668.96 Interest and Sinking Fund 477.50 Interest Coupon Fund CERTIFICATES OF INDEBTEDNESS OUTSTANDING, DEC. 31, 1917. 8.31 $8 Total (Schedule 9) All cash receipts through the city colDated March 1. 1915, in favor of bearer, lector's office have been verified throughout with interest at 5 per cent, as follows: the year, and properly approved vouchers Amount Ac. Int. Maturity are on file to support all cash disbursements $ 50.00 $ 3000.00 March 1, 1918 shown by the books. Coupons covering 50.00 3000.00 March 1, 1919 bond and certificate interest have been veri51.67 3100.00 March 1, 1920 fied as they matured and were paid and are 3300.00 55.00 March 1, 1921 on file properly cancelled. 3300.00 55.00 March 1,, 1922 Respectfully, 55.00 3300.00 March 1, 1923 A. J, MELANCON, City Auditor,
