Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1856-04-01
RE-AssHssMBNr or LANDS.
. pIL1 FaovIDtse FoK ! ,.k-AsssssNH,.F ols4HE


a BILL PRov1DIsG FOR : Ek-AssxssNEsT oEsEHE
LANDS OF THE coHNoSS'EALTH
j Passed March TO- 1856.
Be IL enacted by the General Assembly, That
i it shan DO the duty of the several county and
Y corporation courts, at their ensuing May and
June terms, to appoint proper persons to hssess
the value of all lands and lots together with the
Improvements thereon, within their respective
lcounties and corporations: Provided, that there
Il shalIsbe but one assessor for each
and for each county as many as there are CONE
tmissioners Of the revenue for the same; and no
sperson shall be appointed assessor for any conns
/ ty or corporation who is not q resident and O
4 freebooter in the same. In those counties III
\ which twosor more assessors are to be appoints
ed, the court shall appoint one for each parish
4 or district to which commissioner OF the reYe-
niue is assigned.
.. Each assessor before entering upon the du7
ties of his Office, shall in open court execute a
bond, with such security as the court shall ape
point, in the penalty of FIVE thousand dollars,
conditioned for the faithful performances OF the
duties Of his Office +; and shall, moreover, take
an oath in open court, or before justice OF the
peace. that he will faithfully, impartially, and
to the best of his skill and understanding, ex-
ecutc all of the duties of his office according TO
4 law.
9. The Register of the Land Office, as soon as
possible, after the passage of this 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
thirtV-lirSt day of December, eighteen hundred
and fifty-five, and the time Of making out such
list; aud it shall he the duty of the Clerk with
out unnecessary delay, to deliver to the Assess
or Of such county or corporation the said lists Of
4 grants with a copy of the land book for has
county or corporation for the year 1893, and a
list of the conveyauces recorded since the said
In,
there shall be more Assessors than one, the
Clerk shall furnish Tn each of them, a copy OF
the list Of grants and of tho land book. and also
list of conyeyanceS rs aforesaid for tho parish
or district for which he is appointed. For the
services aforesaid the Clerk shall receive such
compensation asthc Court of his county OF COR.
operation may think proper 10 allow, which shall
be cmbracedinhnCi paid out of the first county
or cooperation levy made after the services snail
be rendered; and any Clerk who shall fail 10
perform any duty hereby enjoined. upon him,
shall be fined for the use Of the Literary fund,
a sum not exceeding one hundred dollars, ut tho
discretion of jury.
4. The said assessors shall Immediately after
their appointment, proceed to examine all the
lands and lots with improvements thereon, with
in their respective counties, districts and copor-
lations, and shall upon Snch examination ascer-
tain and assess the cash value thereof. And II,
lat 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
developed on him within the time hereinafter
prescribed, it may wholly suPersede him aud ap-
point another in his place OF appoint one OF more
assistants to aid him in his duties, as 1t shall
deem most expedient; hut before any person
thus appointed shall enter upon the duties OF his
oiIice he shall take the oath and execute the bond
with such penalty us the court shall fix, PTcscrib
ed in the second section: Provided, however,
that the cash value of the lands lots and improve
imcnts thereon shall be fixed by first ascertain-
ling the value upon the usual credits in the neigh
borhood, and rebating legal interest when int
rest is notlsually allowed on such credits OF de-
Eerred payments.
5. ANY person feeling himself aggrieyed by the
assessment of his lands or lots, made under the
provision of this act may, upon giving notice to
the assessor, apply to the court Ofhs county OF
corporation at the first or second or third term
after such assessment has been made, and not
after, to have the assessments ofhis lands or lots
corrected; which notice shall be in writing, and
shall have appended thereto an affidavit that, IN
the opinion Of the affiant, the assessment of his
lands or lots is above the true value thereof,
which affidavit may be sworn to by the owner
OF his duly authorized agent In all such appI-
cations, it shall be tho duty of the Attorney for
the Commonwealth i'm such court, to attend to
the interest of the Commonwealth; and if the
courts shall be satisfied that the assessment is toe
high, they shall reduce the same to what Is III
their opinion the true value Of such lands or lots
but if they shall be of the opinion that the assess
is too low then they shall increase it in like
manner; and such application shall have prece
dence overall other causes pending in said courts
In any case in which the owner of lands or lots,
or bis agent, shall be dissatisfied with the value
assessed because it is too low, the assessor shall
adopt the estimate ofthe owner or his agent; but
in cases of appeal from the decision of the asses
scr TO the county court as herein provided for
cost shall not be taxed for or against the appel
liant Of the Commonwealth.
8. As soon as the assessors shall have com,
pleted the assessment in their respective coun-
ties, districts and corporations, and shall have
CONFIRMED the same in all controvertcd cases tc
the action of the court, the said assessors shall
each make out two copies of his assessment IL
the form in which the land books are now made
out and shall certify on oath that no lots orlands
are omitted, and that there are no errors appa-
rent in its face, and of these copies SO certified
one shall be flied and preserved in the Clerks
office of the county or corporation and the othc1
forwarded by mail or other safe conveyance to
the Auditor or Public Accounts at Richmond
on or before the first day of October, eighteen
hundred and fifty six Each assessor whoTshal
fail to comply with any requisiton Of this sec
ton shall forfeit all Tightto compensation for his
services. 1t shall be the duty Of the Auditor Of
Public Accounts, as soon as practicable after
the passage of this act, to prepare proper torrnE
Of returns from blanks, to be filled up by the as
SCISSORS and instructions, and cause the same to
be printed, and forward sufficient number Of
copies for theuse of the assessors TO tho clerks
of the courts of the several counties and corpor
atoms.
Z. Each assessor and assistant assessor shall
receive the sum of two dollars and fifty cents
for each day he shall be necessarily employedin
the execution Of the duties Of his Office. Their
accounts shall'be made out, verified, certified
and paid out of the public treasury, after the
scribed by the Sgth section of the Both chapter
of the Code of Virginia of 1s49, in relation to
commissioners of the revenue: provided, how
ever, that before any appointment of assessors
I,rnridnd in tlnis e shall he the duty n