From 1911: Middletown To Have Another Hot Meeting

The following is an extract of an article published 101 years ago tomorrow, it appeared in the Hartford Courant on January 9th, 1911.
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Question of school tax to be taken up
There are indications of another lively town meeting when the adjourned annual meeting will be held on “Friday, the thirteenth,” in the town hall. At the last meeting several interesting disclosures were made as to the methods of certain town officers, and that meeting adjourned for the purpose of ascertaining the validity and sufficiency of the bond of the tax collector. But other matters will unquestionably take up more time than this, one in particular being in relation to the tax for school purposes. It was brought out at the last meeting that the tax of two mills was insufficient to meet all the legitimate expenses of the town schools, and that the selectmen had made up the deficiency out of the town funds. It is understood that this has been customary, for some years, without receiving any legal warrant for the expenditure of the money. The city school enumeration is 2,431, and the town 1,378. The city’s allowance was $11,993.35 and the town’s, $6,708.72. In addition to this, the selectmen spent $9,036 for the town schools, which came out of the general town fund, as the two mills tax was insufficient. The taxpayers of the city school district had to pay their share of the extra money, while the town taxpayers derived all the benefits. Under these circumstances, it is said on good authority at Friday’s meeting a three mill tax will be recommended.