The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-10-28
REPRESENTATIVES, HALLS BILL.

officers in this county. We have
taken ample time to make thorough
investigation of the practicability of
such measure, so that we would be
free from any bias or drawn into
making any unjust or inconsistent
statements to the personal detriment
Of any one of our Representatives,
who are supposed to legislate for the
interests of the ,chOle county instead
of privileged few. We will allow,
for argument sake. the justice of the
entire bill, except the Auditors sal
airy, although we think that the figures
of some of the other offices are placed
at a ridicuously low point. Have they
Investigated personally what an Audi
tors duties are! Did they, before
introducing such bill, make any
personal inquiries of our Auditor,
or of anyone familiar with his duties !
We say, most emphatically, that there
Is not one taxpayer in hundred who
is aware of the duties required by the
general and special laws of Il County
Auditor. He is the book.keeper for
the county, and is required to look
over and correct every assessment
book rs returned by each township
assessor, and in Blue Earth county
where over trenty:frc thousand de-
Scriptions have to appear on the as
sessment and tax books. it is no small
task. When the County Board of
Equalization meets. the Auditor is
required to act as clerk of the Board
and figure over all the items and
changes. When the State Board
meets he is again required to change
the whole assessments and equalize
them, rs directed 10y the State Audi
tor. This year eleven items were
changed by the State Board opposite
every name when found upon the as
sessment books. The Auditor is re-
quired three times year to make a
settlement with the County Treas
urer and to keep u separate ledger
account with one hundred and forty
school districts I'm the county, and each
town separately, and account with all
the State and county funds. In max
ing these settlements the amount of
money collected in each town and
school district must be apportioned
and set apart for the town and school
district in which said money was
paid. If delinquent taxes are paid,
he is required to refer back to the old
tax books and see the rate of tax
levied for the year SO paid, and he
careful to see that the proper town
and other funds get this delinquent
= tax. This of itself is u laDorious
. task, and he is required to keep the
2 tax and assessment books for tuGntt
years before him in order to distribute
this delinquent tax 80 paid to thu
proper funds. No man can get Il deet
put upon record without getting tn,
Auditors certificate that there are II,
) taxes due upon the land sold, and IN
frequently looks back over the book
for dozen years to see if there ar,
= any taxes due. All the taxes no
paid prior to June lSt of each yea
cannot be paid to the County Treas
urer until the Auditor first issues T.
him a written statement of amount o
:, tax due, which requires rs much tim
- as 1t does the County Treasurer t
:, make the tax receipt after receiving
: said statement from the Auditor.
The County Auditor is required t
fill out various tabulated statemen
,. from time to time for the State Audi
Il tor and Treasurer, and this frequent
q ly takes several days of hard labor
4 When the County Board is i'm sessio
9 the Auditor is required to act as tn
d clerk of said Board. and he keeps al
J.. the minutes and records, issues al
county warrants, and in fact no fund
can be drawn from the county treas
n ury without first coming through tn
e Auditors office. When nonresident
:. want to pay taxes the Auditor is re
d quired to furnish them written state
l. ment of amount due, figuring care
d fully the penalty and interest. Tn
t Auditor annually in Blue Earth coun
d ty furnishes each town clerk an,
school clerk a statement of their &C
count.
The duties required of every Count
Auditor in the State is enormous, an,
y especially in Blue Earth county
y where there are 80 many school an,
other accounts to be kept. Ever
J. year the Legislature makes NOR
work in this already heavily taxe'
office. No longer ago than last win
ter, the law requiring every Count.
. Auditor in the State to make up new
, books for new tax law required tn
services of two good men for tw'
= months in this county, and the Audi
tor did not receire one cent for ertru CON
|, pensatiOn for such services.
The above is only very small frac
a ton Of the details required to pei
form the work of County Auditor
y and if we attempted to enumerat
them all it would fill our columns TO
q month.
q From the testimony of one of til
G most competent authorities in thi
e State, a man who is familiar with tn
@ duties performed by every Audlto
8 in the State, We learn that there ar
v only two counties which have NOR
d work for their Auditors to perform
e than Blue Earth county, while all tn
g other counties pay much larger salar
les for competent men than this cOuI
atty. There cannot be found al Oflic
It within the jurisdiction of our State G
county which requires more compt
tent officer than the Auditors Office
% and to get such officers good salar
{. must be paid. Upon what did on
n legislators base their reasons for sue
!. economy They say upon Move
). county for one. Didor do they knO,
n what Mower county suffered by er
% lo..o.;,r. % ,,n Tho Au1itnr,o NJ N