Taxpayers' Union Declares War on County Spending
Prosser-based citizens group demands cuts to health and horticultural budgets, targeting local officials over alleged waste.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
District Horticultural Inspector Luke Powell, County Health Officer Dr. F. M. Crosby, County Purchasing Agent J. B. Clements, and the office of court commissioner were the targets upon which the guns of the Tax League were trained at a meeting in Prosser last Saturday. The league asked Mr. Powell to keep his assistant hire within the $1,000 mark, criticized Dr. Crosby for charging $1.75 a day for the care of indigents, rapped Mr. Clements for purchasing culvert pipe without calling for bids, and asked Judge Linn to abolish the office of court commissioner.
“Whereas the taxes are almost beyond the ability of the producer to pay... if the office of horticultural inspector is to be perpetuated in Benton county, the expense thereof must not be increased.”
Public agitation over government efficiency, bidding processes, and social service costs remains a staple of Benton County politics. Much like the 1916 Tax League, modern taxpayers' groups continue to scrutinize how local authorities handle procurement and indigence programs.
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