Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1867-05-09
For the Herald.
90 For the Herald, =
Turnpike improvements in Fay
ette County.


equitable adjustment Of the assess-
ment on the lots and lands to be
benefited thereby One of your
correspondents in an article in re-
ply to Barkis, of BlO"mingburg,
called attention to the comparative
ly trifling amount assessed on the
real estate of Washington for the
81 benefit of the Columbus Road, and
the amount seemed so ridiculously
small in proportion to the benefit
derived, as to be almost incredible
that the benefit should be adjudged
to be so diminutive, being SIl95 Is,
a little more than enough to build
one third of one mile of the i'm
Iprovement, being less than one
half of one per cent. on the Dupli-
cate valuation of the real estate of
Washington for the benefit Of that
road. Can it be possible that the
real estate of Washington is not
benefited to a greater amount than
the above, by the Improvement of
the Columbus Road, while the lands
situate within half or three fourths
of q mile Of the same road are ben
fitted to the extent of s or 8 per
cent. on their duplicate valuation.
How or in what manner the ASSESS
ors could arrive at those figures, is
beyond the comprehension of most
of your readers. Therefore, with
out intending any reflection upon
their integrity or capacity, let us
attempt to direct our enquiry as
to hepropcr and equitable mode of
assessing the lands and lots adjacent
to the various roads to be improved
in this county. f
The whole subjecS is comparative
ly new, and We are all inexperienced
in the matter and the most mature
judgments on that account may be
at fault without mature deliberation.
Consequently comparison ofviews
may result in good for the general
public who have to foot the bill. 1t
is admitted byall who are competent |
to give an opinion on the subject,
that according to the law of 1866 and
the law Of 1867, the 9
lands for two miles on each side of q
the contemplated Improvement, in J
radius of two miles at the :
terminus within the county, might !
and ought to be taxed for such i'm
prOvement; and, as consequence, =
the Commissioners of the county
cannot acquire jurisdiction to act
upon a petition for the improve q
ment of a road unless they are sat {
isfed and find on their records that !.
a majority of the land holders with /
in the two miles on each side of the I
road, including a radius of two I
miles at the terminus within the q
county, have signed the petition. 1t 7
follows that the plain intention of c
,he law is that the lands and lots a
within those limits should be taxed Il
or the road petitioncd for, accord I
ng to the benefit derived from the
Improvement, and that if a great I
of the land-holders of n
Washington sign petition for a t,
road, thereby making up majority s.
On the whole route, as against the II
PEOPLE in the country, they should W
'e taxed or assessed for the con- n,
truction of every road SO petition O
d for; and if they petition for five
II six roads into Washington, they 81
hould also pay their full quota of h,
AK for the construction of each Is
Dad, and not try to shirk out by 20
leading poyerty--that they can't ol
tand the amount of tax necessary :,
Or six roads, and that the people ar
the country ought to let them off If
it'll paying their quota for one
'ad, and distribute that amount
atween the six petitioncd for, after 80 -
'st dedncting therefrom enough to ="
the Improvement through -
le corporation 80 as to connect the
,rious roads; and that will leave ~
lc snug little sum Of Sl105 rs for 'l''
Ie benefit Of each road outside of NV
le corporation. That much, it is /
opposed, the property-holdors of thl
'ashington will be able to stand aD'
nder without complaining. 1t will ag'
My be equal to three per cent. for
* roads, while the people along ms
'ch road in the country pay nine res
er cent. on their valuation. Or in be'
thcr words, the people of Wash \
gton pay nine per cent. as the full =. =
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