Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1850-04-29
REASSESsMENT OF THE LANDS
I'M VIRGINIA

lin VlhGlNlA.
An ACT providing for the assessment of the
land throughout the Commonwealth Passed
March 20; $780,
1. Be 1t enacted by the General Assembly, That
it shall be the duty Of the several county and
corporation courts, at their ensuing April or
May terms, to appoint proper persons to assess
the value Of all lands and lots, together with the
Improvements thereon, within their respective
counties and corporations For each corpora
ton there shall be but one assessor but for each
county as many as there are commissioners of
the revenue in the same and no person shall be
appointed assessor for any county or corporation
who is not resident of and freeholder in the
same. In those counties in which two or more
assessors are to be appointed, the court shall ap-
point one for each parish or district to which
commissioner of the revenue shall have been
assigned.
2. Each assessor, before entering upon the
duties OF his office, shall, in open court, execute
bond, with such security as the court shall ap-
prove, in the penalty of five thousand dollars.
conditioned for the faithful performance Of the
duties of his office and shall moreover take an
oath, in open court, or before a Justice of the
peace that he will faithfully, impartialy. and
TO the best of his skill and undertaking, execute
all the duties Of his Office according to law.
3. The Register of the Land Office, as soon as
possible after the passage ofthis act, shall for.
ward to the clerk of each county and corpora
ton court, list of all grants of land within his
county or corporation, issued between the -
day Of December eighteen hundred and forty
nine, and the time Of making out such list and
it shall be the duty Of the clerk, without unnec-
essary delay, to deliver the said list of grants.
with copy of the land book for his county or
corporation for the year eighteen hundred and
iortynine; to the assessor of such county or cor
poration. In any county i'll which there shall
be more assessors than one, the clerk shall fur
nish to such OF them copy of the list of grants,
and of the handbook of the parish or district for
which he is appointed. For the services afore-
said the clerks shall receive such compensation
as the court of his county or corporation may
think proper to allow, which shall be embraced
i'll and paid out of the first county or corporation
levy made after the services shall have been rem
dered ; and any clerk who shall fail to perform
any duty hereby enjoined upon him, shall be
flled for the use of the Literary fund a sum net
exceeding one hundred dollars, at the discretion
of a jury.
4. The said assessors shall, Immediately after
their appointment, proceed TO examine all the
lands and lots with the improvements thereon.
within their respective counties, districts and
corporations, and shall upon such examination
ascertain and assess the cash value thereof. And
If at any time the court shall be satisfied that any
assessor appointed under this act will not or that
from any cause he cannot perform the duties de-
volved on him, within the time hereinafter PIE
scribed, il may wholly supeIcede him and ap-
point another in his place, or appoint one or
more ASSISTANTS to aid him in his duties, as il
shall deem most expedient but before any per.
son thus appointed shall enter upon the duties of
his office he shall take the oath and execute the
bond with such penalty as the court shall fix
prescribed In the second section: Prorided hoy-
euer, That the cash value of the lands lots and
improvements thereon shall be fixed BY first as
certaining the value upon the usual credits in
the neighborhood, and Relating legal interest.
S. Any person feeling himself aggrieved by
the assessment of his lands or lots made under
the provisions of this act, may, upon giving no.
tice to ASSESSOR apply to the court Of his coun
y or corporation, at the first or second term after
such assessment had been male, and not after.
to have the assessment of his lands and lots. cor
rected; which notice shall be in writing, and
shall have appended thereto an affidavit, that,
in the opinion Of the affiant the assessments OF
his lands or lots is above the true value thereof.
which affidavit may be sworn to by the ownes
or his duly authorized agent In all such an
plications it shall be the duty of the attorney for
the commonwealth in such court to attend to the
interest OF the commonwealth; and if the courts
shall be satisfied that the assessment is too high.
they shall reduce the same TO what is in their
opinion the true value of such lands or lots but
it they be of the opinion that the assessment is
too low, they shall increase it in like manner
and such application shall have precedence over
all others causes pending in said courts. In any
case IN which the owner of lands or lots, or his
agents, shall be dissatisfied with the value as
sessed, because it is too low, the assessor shall
adopt the estimate of the owner or his agents
but IN the case of appeal cost shall not be taxed
for or against the appellant or the commonwealth
=. AS soou as the assessors shall have COM
pleted the assessment in their respective coun-
ties, districts and corporations, and shall have
conformed the same in all controverted cases to
the action of the court, the said assessors shall
each make out two copies of his assessment, in
the form in which the iand-books are now made
ont and certified by the commissioners of the
revenue; one Of which copies shall be filed and
preserved In the clerks Office of the county or
corporation, and the other forwarded by mail or
other safe conveyance, to the first auditor at
Richmond, or or before the fifteenth of October
next. Each Assessor who shall fail to comply
with any requisition of this section, shall forte.
all right to compensation for his services
4. Each assessor and assistant assessor shall
receive the sum of two dollars for each day he
shall be necessarily employed in the execution
OF the duties OF his office. Their accounts shall
be made out, verified, certified and paid out of
the public treasury, in the manner prescribed by
the eighty ninth section Of the thirty -ffth chap
ter OF the Code Of Virginia Of eighteen hundred
and folty-n:ne, in relation to commissioners OF
the revenue
8. This act shall be in force from the time of
its passage.
sTAUNTON WOOLLEN FACTORY.