Omaha daily bee., 1883-06-01
TAX TROUBLES.
Property Owners Grumbling and
Threatening to EnjOin
Collections,
Some OF the Facts and Figures
of the Assessment.

~ 10 ho uhuouni shibB iot phoPSa'y
owners to grumble about their taxes,
bat this year there seems to have been
a more than ordinary rumpus raised.
Asuessor Stone has taken much pains
in getting at the property and placing
a value upon It, and he prides himself
on having made one Of the most &C
curate and Just assessments Of his
whole off clsl career. In faot he stakes
his reputation on its being the best
work he has aver done. The aldermen,
meeting as a board of equalization,
have gone over the work very careful
ly, item by item, and their aggregated
time thus spent amounts to as much
or more than that spent by the as.
SCISSOR. The board has decided that
a large number Of assessments should
be raised, thinking them too low, and
he notified the property owners inter.
ested that the board will tonight
make q final decision. 1t is among
those whose property Is to be thus
raised that much commotiopi Is caused,
and there are threats made of trying
to epjoln the collection Of tho tax 90.
The claim Is set up that the aldermen,
meeting as q board of equalization,
cannot increase the assessment, but
can only equallze 1t; that they can
only increase on some 40 much as they
take off on other property. 1t Is ex-
pected that there Will be more than
the usual storm raised about the al.
dermanic ears, aud yet there has been
no assessment In making or re.
viewing which more time and care has
been shown. The hue and cry
is not raised on account of careless.
ness, but on account of the alleged alb.
senoe of equity.
There are some strange facts con-
nected with the assessment. There
are running from Main to Pearl street,
several business buildings, n owned
by Mrs. Knepper, occupied by the
Bouton Tea company; another two by
Alderman James, occupied by John
Beno 4 Go. and by Bushnell &
Bracket; another occupied by Harte,
MOCune & Co. aud owned by San
Haas, and two others occupied BY
Stewart Bros. These buildings, with
ground, are doubtless worth $40, OO(
and the rentals pay a big interest OF
this amount. These have bsen as
seused at %, 900 each, but Alderman
James' buildings, which are of tn,
same sort and value and apparently
worth q littls more, as the upper par
Is furnished Into Offices, has been re
duoed to 80, 500.
Alderman James property uher,
no lives Is q fine piece of land, com
posing q whole block, and has three
good houses upon 1t. He Ia said t.
have been offered 1927, 600 for tn,
property. 1t was assessed at Sc, 800
and the board reduced 1t to 80, 900
On the other baud Mrs. Sherrader
who owns half as much land west
not nearly so valuable, and will
three houses, one which wal move,
on to the land twenty years ago, an,
two other one.story building, wa
asaessed for 81, 500, bu. II Ia propose,
to raise her property to 81, 500.
The thirty acres Of ground owne0
by Foster, the green house man an
florist, all In q fine state Of cultivs
ton, and we'll improved by building
Is assessed at $40 an acre, while tn
five acres of hollow and bluff, o
which is located the little powde
house, 1t Is proposed to raise to SIC
an acre.
The elegant home Of Mr.. Crltter
den, with twenty.four acres of lant
the house probably costing $8, 900,
new brick barn, etc, Is placed
s $500. A St.. Louis man, a $50
eigner," q nonresident, has four acre
between Crittenden & Siedentopf
piece Of land, which Is very broke
and unimproved, is to be raised to 81
an acre. Alderman Sledentopf's prt
perty with buildings which are rattle
e.. old, was placed at $3.50 an acre., an
the alderman made no protest.
:. The Ogden house and Pacific hou,
l are assessed alike, $l5, 900 each.
{ The Union Pacific IL assessed {,
about $500, 900.
.. Tho building owned by M, Benne
= and occupied by Van Brunt, Thorn,
= son & Co.,, was assessed at "a, 90
i and 10 to be raised to 90, 900, Will
the shugart implement company
building aaSessment In not 9b0O III
l. erent. Bennett's building Is 60 fe
square, while the Shugart building
90 by 100, and both are three storie
These are but samples of some
s the figuring, showing how mems jud
ment will differ.