44 Chicago Bureau of Public Efficiency 



must be construed as the assessed value. In order to increase 

 the Hmit of bonding power of cities, the Legislature in 1909 

 changed the assessed value from one-fifth to one-third of the full 

 value. The aggregate tax rate which had been limited to 5 per 

 cent, of the one-fifth valuation was at the same time changed to 

 3 per cent, of a one-third valuation so as to maintain the rate 

 at 1 per cent, of the full valuation. There were some exceptions 

 to this latter action, however. The number of mills which the 

 South Park Board was authorized to levy was not changed, but 

 due to the high property valuation of that district, the effect of 

 the change of basis from one-fifth to one-third was to increase 

 inordinately the amount of taxes which it might levy. The 

 increase made possible ($758,007) was so very large compara- 

 tively that the South Park Board did not venture to levy the full 

 amount in 1910. What it actually did was to levy exactly one- 

 half of the increase and add a sufficient amount arbitrarily to 

 bring the total to round numbers. The law permits a levy of 

 }i mill for museum purposes but the Board has no present use 

 for so much money for such purposes and in recent years has 

 levied only ^ mill. The following tabulation may elucidate the 

 procedure followed in determining the amount of levy : 



Amount of levy if based on one-third valuation $2,961,442 



Amount of levy if based on one-fifth valuation 2,203,435 



Amount of increase made possible 758,007 



One-half of possible increase added 379,004 



Amount arbitrarily added to make round numbers 17,561 



Amount actually levied 2,600,000 



The 1909 statute, although it did not change the 4>4 mill 

 rate which the town of West Chicago may levy for park pur- 

 poses, did change two of the rates levied by the West Park 

 Board, the efifect of which was to reduce from 8 to 6 2/10 mills 

 the total mill tax which may be levied by the latter. The reduc- 

 tion did not, however, offset the increased levy made possible 

 by change in basis to one-third of the valuation. Since the West 

 Park levy is based upon the valuation of the current year the 

 increase made possible occurred in the 1909 levy for that Board 

 instead of in the 1910 levy as in the case of the South Park 

 Board. The increase of 1909 over 1908 in ainount extended 



