New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-07-28

| ministrator OF Assessments.
Read first and second time and laid
| over.
BY Mr.. BonzanO:
An ordinance to provide for the payment
of the salaries of the Mayor and ADMINS
| traitors for the month of July, lo.o.
| Be it ordained BY the Council OF the city
of New Orleans. That the sum OF four thou
| sand one hundred and twenty-five Soliars
lS4l25) he appropriated, and the Admhls-
| traitor of Public Accounts is authorized 10
warrant upon the Department OF FINANCE
| for said sum in payment OF the salaries OF
| tbe Mavor- and Administrators for the
month Of July, 1870.
Read twice and laid over.
| Mr.. Bonzano moved the following:
| Resolred, That the Administrator of As
sessments be and is hereby relieved of the
consideration of all petitions, having refer
| ence to tax bills and assessments, unless the
same refer to the tax bills for the year OF
| 1869, now in the course OF collection.
| Mr.. Pierce seconded the resolution, in
order to give the Administrator of Assess
ments an opportunity of taking the sense OF
the Council on his proposition ~
The Mayor asked when it was made the
duty of the Administrator OF Assessments
to inquire into these back taxes.
MIR. Finley replied that it belonged to the
duties Of the Assessment Department.
There was no other department which could
do it.
The Mayor said that might be, but there
| was nothing in the charter which made 1t
the duty of the Administrator OF Assess
| ments to inquire into these things.
| Mr.. Bonzano said his department was
| much crowded with the current assess
| ments. and he would like to be relieved of
the consideration Of these petitions until
say November. He would alter his resolu-
ton so as to read that he be ''authorized to
suspend for the present. the consideration
of all back tax petitions.
| MI Walton thought the Council had com
lnitted great mistake in entertaining
| these petitions for the correction Of back
assessments. The taxpayers had ample
opportunity every year TO correct the tax
rolls: they had not done it, and now sought
to take advantage of their own wrong by
asking release from taxes eight or nine years
old
The Mayor put the question to the vote
Several members voted yea, TO one or two
| nays.
The Mayor declared the resolution
adopted.
| Mr.. Shaw said this was virtually an en-
fiingement of the right Of petition. lie
wanted a reconsideration of the vote. He
did not say that the Administrator OF AS
sessments, in the press OF other business,
should turn aside to consider these petit
tions. but he did say that he should investi-
gate and report upon them as soon rs he
could conveniently.
Mr.. West asked what would be the effect
Oh the collection of taxes for the years to
which Mr.. Bonzanos motion to suspend eX-
animation applied.
Mr.. BonzanO Well, the Sheriff will pro-
coed to execute the writs to compel pay
ment.
Mr.. West: Then payment is to be exacted
from men without giving them the right OF
appeal
Mr.. Bonzano answered that the taxes had
1 been assessed, due notice given, no obJec
ton made, and now the City Attorney had
obtained Judgment and the Sheriff proceeded
to execute a writ Of seizure.
Mr. West Then the process of relief will
be a process of reimbursement.
Mr. Bonzano: Certainly.
Mr.. West said the Administrator of As
sessments had dwelt with some stress OIL
the good time coming, when his assessment
would be completed. In truth, his time
would then be only just beginning. He
Mr. Vest would suggest whether it would
not be possible to employ an additional
force to investigate these tax petitions and
close them up as quickly as possible.
| Mr. Walton observed that if the Council
went behind the law, which required every
citizen to come forward and investigate his
own assessment they would have to employ
a good many additional clerks in several OF
the claims which would be sent in. He did
not believe they had any right to 90 back
After a tax bill had gone through proper
course oflaw it became a claim property
Mr.. Bonzano said, since he had been IL
Office his secretary and himself had done
little else but examine tax bills long since
prescribed by law They had not been able
to follow the current assessments III any
shape or form.
Mr.. Walton believed many of these claim
ants were men who persstently refused t.
pay their taxes, and now came in an,
claimed all sorts of reduc tons and rein
bursements of taxes on slaves and every
thing else. He did not think the Council
ought to entertain these demands for on
| moment.
After some further discussion, a motion Il
postpone the question WAS carried.
Mr.. BonzanO presented the following re
port, which was adopted:
IMPAIRMENT OF Assessments,
| Cit,.cf Now Orleans, July 2G, 1870.
In reulv 10 the petition OF John &. Wire
residing on the southwest side OF Iivol
! Circle. asking for division OF certain ia,
bill 50 that he NAV be enabled to pay hi
proportion thereof, l respectfully report al
ordinance as follows, to wit; :.
Be it ordained, etc, That the Sheriff o
J ! the parish Of Orleans is hereby empoWere'
! | and directed. to receive from John u. WE
oue-third of the amo,ist of tax, interest an'
} costs. due by Lydia Wire on the assess,nen
of $4,000 for the year 1860, on account OF
iudpment rendered by the Sixth Distrlc
\ Court in the salt of city OF New Orleans VS.
D lydia Wire, No. 1856, and that he tin
0 Sheriff. shall give him receipt, whic
shall be for the tax against the lot of grOun
0 in square No 2l5, second assessment district