The Town of Gilman Demands its Share
When the town of Gilman incorporated, it stopped being under county jurisdiction—but now they want the county to hand over the saloon license fees collected before the split.
At the session of the county commissioners held yesterday, a question came up for consideration that proved a puzzler. In April of this year, the town of Gilman was incorporated, and was removed thereby from the jurisdiction of the county in the management of municipal affairs. Previous to that time, a number of saloon licenses had been granted in the town, and the county had received the fees therefrom. The town government now petitions the county to turn over a pro rata share of the money so that what remains can be used for municipal expenses. The commissioners favored granting the petition, but were unable to satisfy themselves that their action in the matter would be legal. They are in consultation with the county attorney concerning the matter now, and will turn over the funds if the law will permit them to do so.
“At the session of the county commissioners held yesterday, a question came up for consideration that proved a puzzler.”
This is a classic 'growing pains' story for Washington towns. The tension between municipal independence and county revenue-sharing is a perennial theme in local governance that still echoes in debates over annexation and tax distribution.
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