Omaha daily bee., 1883-06-06
insist that this injunction has done q
grave wrong t. Nebraska.
THE BOARD oF IQUALlZ A.
vION

THE BOARD oF IQUALlZ A.
TON.
The county commissioners arc now
In session ss a board of egualiz, alton.
Their duties under the law are plain
and imperative. The board sits In
review Of the conduct Of the assessors
and la expected to place tho properly
of every citizen on an equal ba,is.
The statute requires that all properly
shall be assessed at the full market
value but willful perjury seemr to be
no crime In Douglas county
and Nebraska. The assessors
claim that they are not bound by the
plain letter Of their oath of Office,
because other assessorsin other sections
are violating the statute. So they as
sess property at rates varying from one
fourth to one-tenth according to per.
sons and localities. The obi got Ct q
board of equalization Is to make these
assessments uniform. II one.third OK
one-fourth Is to be the basis, then all
property should be assessed at that
rattle.
Thirteen years ago the assessed
valuation of this city vas about $l0,.
DOC, 900, and Of the city and county
$13, 900, 900. Since then the assessed
valuation has been steadily decress-
Ing, In spite of our steady growth In
wealth and population. Two years
ago 1t had got down to q fraction over
seven millions. Last year, by q Wig
orous effort on the part of THE BEE,
it Was raised about o million. Now
everybody knows that there is not a
foot of ground IN Omaha to. day that
Ia not valued at from 80 to SOC
per cent more than 1t was iu 1870
Omaha real estate alone Is worth from
forty to fifty millions. In the county
lands that five years ago were selling
at So an acre, are held at $50.
In the last thirteen years we have
built more than 6 900 dwelling houses
and 500 business houses, besides hun.
dreds of farm houses. Add to this
the great public improvements owned
By private corporations, such as water
works, gas works, manufactures, stree,
railways, hotels and opera houses, and
1t certainly surpasses all belief that In
the year 1883 the total valuation oil
Douglas, as returned by the assessors,
foots up only $40, 600, 600.
1t Is not expected, of course, thai
the board can 60 over every lot, but
they q and ought to correct glsrint
discrepancies between the wards. L
Is reported Oh good authority that tn,
Third and Fourth ward assessors or,
tho only ones In the county that hav'
made material advances In the valus-
tion over last year, while the FRS
and Second wards are stationary aut
an inappreoiablo advance has beer
made In the Sixth. Toe authority o
the board of equalization to raise tn
aggregate valuation Of property II
separate wards Is full and complete
The statute of 1888, p 275, says:
. at shall ascertain whether the valu
atlons In n township, precinct O
, district bear just relation to all tn
townships, precincts or districts in III
county, and may increase or diminisI
: the aggregate valuation of propert,
= In any township, precinct or distric
q by adding or deducting such sum upoi
the hundred as may be necessary t
produce a just relation between all tn
i valuations of property In the county
t but shall In no instance reduce the az
gregate valuation of all the townships
precincts or districts below the sggre
gate valuation thereof as made by tn
assessors."
Nothing can be palmer than that
If the First, Second, Fifth and Slxt
wards are assessed lower proportion
= ately than the Third and Fourth, 1t 1
: the duty of the board to equalize tn
= total city assessment by raising tn
valuation. And II all the wards al
assessed at less than their marke
value, 1t Is equally their duty to rails
the assessment in each to q sum who
will represent something like an 81
u Proclamation to q fair assessable valul
tion.
The statute provides that the boar
shall, upon the complaint of q oitize
that property has been assessed to
low, review the assessment and co,
rect the valuation, but 1t does NJ
provide that no changes shall be mad
, In the returns of the assessors unlel
4. such specific complaint Is filed for re-
~ ord. 1t Is one Of the duties Of II
n board, for which they receive the
~ salaries, to ascertain through IL
10 county clerks Office the actual valu
!, tion Of property In the county. Wit
!. the data there obtained they can Pc
=. form their duties as q board of equal
ID ration understandingly and comp
4. tently.
I'd 1t will be an Infamous outrage If IL
t. next tax levy on property In Dough
county Is made on q valuation Of le
Of than SIS, GOO. 600. That will be ahnl