Tacoma’s Budget Meltdown
Facing a financial crisis, city officials argue over whether to cut police or raise the salary of a single elevator operator.
Tacoma, Jan. 11. 'Paying interest on bonds is what is killing Tacoma,' said Councilman Harris at a city council meeting today. He also said the Chamber of Commerce and the newspapers favoring bond burdens were the direct cause of the distressing position of the city and should be drummed out of town. Major Grattan said if the city kept on it would have a receiver appointed, but he did not think anyone could be found to receive it. The council discussed ways and means to reduce municipal expenses and to take action upon the report of the finance committee recommending the timid cut of 10 percent per month in the salaries of subordinates. The council merely recommended a 5 percent instead of a 10 percent cut, opposing the finance committee’s proposition to discharge five policemen. The salary of the one trusted elevator man was increased from $40 to $50 per month instead of decreased as recommended by the Chamber of Commerce. Harris favored abolishing the board of public works and substituting the mayor, city surveyor and street commissioners therefor, thus saving $800 a month. The heads of departments and not small salaried men should be cut. The city must live within its means.
“Paying interest on bonds is what is killing Tacoma.”
This 1894 debate highlights the perennial friction between austerity measures and the maintenance of essential city services. The tension between cutting administrative fat versus the cost of basic civic infrastructure remains a central theme in modern Tacoma and Seattle budget battles.
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