Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-30
The COUNTY COMNlSSIONERS
Jim Creighton ProtestsAgaiust The
Bees Assessment.
HIS WAS SET FoRrAsAr LENGTH
MIR. Anderson Falls ID Arrive In Time
to Eniiven the Proceedings
Another Kick on
Roche.
Creirhtnn,a Petition.


Turner.
James Creighton was on hand with n pc
tition signed by himself and 'ohn w. Lytlo,
that the assessment on The BEE and Now
York Life buildings was only or 8 Der cent
of the value, while on the property owned
by the sguers the assessment is 35 per cent.
The property referred to in the petition as
owned by Creighton, is on the north side Of
Farnam, Immediately east of the corner Of
Twelfth street. The petition is as follows,
and was referred to the board of equaliza-
tion
1--WE hereby make complaint that the fol-
lowing property is assessed too low, to-wit:
Lots and s, In block l16 city of Omaha
aud for reasons hereafter set forth. The
undersigned are property owners on Farnam
street, described as follows: The west 22
feet of lot 6, in block 122, and the east
Al feet of lot @, In block l22, and that the
assessment on the above described property
amounts to Sl7, 100, and that the next SO feet
east thereof Is assessed for the same amount.
That for the purpose Of comparison we will
leave out the value of the ground and take
into consideration the value of the improve
ments alone. The above described property
in block l22 comprises 132 feet square of in
side property, and the above property de-
scribed us lots and 8. in block 1l6, COM
prises 1872 feot square of corner property.
"The total assessed valuation of lots and
Z in block 1872, is S34 300, and the total valua-
tion of improvements thereon is 100000,
showing that the assessment Is 81 per cent of
the value of the improvements. On the
other hand, the assessed valuation of the
property described as lots and S, In block
1l6, owned by the Bee Building association,
Is S55, 900. end the total value of improve
ments thereon amount to S400,0O0, showing
that the assessment is only So per cent of
the value of the improvements. For the
value Of the Bee Building association im
provements we refer you to Mr.. Rosewater's
article in the Omaha World of January 26,
complaint. Mr.. Rosewater, in a speech
at recent banquet, placed the value
of said improvements at S450,09
"What is true of The BEE building is also
true of the building Immediately east of the
same known as the New York Life building.
Its owners and their agents claim that the
last named building cost $650,0o0 and the
assessed valuation thereof Is $4,000, or
about 40 per per cent Of. the value Of the the
ground under these improvements, because
II is ABOUT the same in value in both in
stances, or if there is any difference 1t is IN
fovor of the Seventeenth and Farnam street
property. For further comparison we will
cite two more instances, namely, Senator
Paddock's building, lot in block 122 which
cost about S65, 0J0 and is assessed at S4, 7C0,
or 50 per cent of the value of the improve
ments
A feet OF lot s, in block l22, and the building
thereon cost Si00 000 and Is assessed AZ SIS, 200,
or 3S per cent of the value of the building
improvement.
''Now, If the standard of assessed valua-
tion is to be and per cent why not apply
that standard to all city Improvement; and,
on the other hand, if the standard is to be
from 3S to 81 per cent why not apply such
standard to Fourth ward as well as to the
Third wards 1t seems that the smaller and
middle class of property owners are assessed
much higher in proportion than the larger
ones. We respectfully ask, at your hand,
relief from this unequal and discriminating
0'o JAMES CREIGHTON.
JOHN w. LYTLE.
A petition was received from the National
Publishing company, of Philadelphia asking
the commissioners to buy plat book of
| Douglas county, now being published by the
| firm.
A communication was received from Sam
| uel Tate, asking the commissioners to fur
| nish means to allow an old deaf and dumb
| lady and her son, in INDECENT circumstances,
| to go TO Delta City, Col. On motion of Mr..
O'keeffe, $50 was appropriated for this pur-
pose.
An opinion from the county attorney rec
| commended that the claim of W. w. Farquher
| for fees in the case of the state VS. UDle be
| allowed.
| County Clerk Roche asked permission to
| employ six persons to work on tax list Re-
| ferred to The committee.
| The report of the committee on Second
| ward taxpayers was received and referred
| to the board of equalization.
| An opinion was received from the county
! attorney on the matter of assessing the
| Lombard Investment company. The board
| connot assess foreign stockholders who have
only an agency here. Real or personal prop
| erty is subject to taxation.
Mrs. M. Mcnamara, boarding house
| keeper In South Omaha, asked the board to
| furnish transportation to Chcago'for Mike
| O'Brien, who had his legs cut off by the Cars
some eight months ago. The request was
| granted.
| that the claim of j. Fl. Standeven of Sl5 for
inspecting boilers be allowed, and that the
| claim of Joseph Crow, Jr., for defending a
prisoner, be reduced to S25 and allowed
| adopted.
The following claims for work on roads
were allowed: A. S. Sbert for S1l4.S4, II
H. Avery $50, o. A. Wolcott s34, John Ap
| pleby $3.50.
| The board adjourned about 3:45 without
| transactlng anything except routine bust
| ness. Anderson came in soon after the
board adjourned, and at once struck into
were good for the regular racket, but
Anderson subsidized and quiet was restored.
Soon atterward Anderson jumped onto
| Clerk Roche about his drawing of warrants
| for the salaries of the employees about the
court house and Jail. Anderson said the
| bills should be held ten days after they Ware
due before warrants were drawn. These
bills are rarely brought before the commits
sioners, as they are regular monthly ac
| counts and no particular action is required
| Anderson is raising this point TO keep the
employees waiting until the 10Th of the month
| for money which Is due them on the 1st.
| DEM rture of Dr. Brown.