Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-12-29
REPORT OF THE TAX COMMITTEE


Upon Which no Tax is Paid-425 Per-
sons Engaged In Business Who Paid no
Tax Last Year-An Assessed Value of
40 Per Cent Recommended.
The report of the tax rev ision COM
nittee presented to the court of COM
non council last night is as follows:
70 the Honorable Court of Common
Council:
Gentlemen: The undersigned represent-
ng the court of common council on the
Joint committee for the assessment of
taxes, appointed by vote adopted July 6,
1891, beg leave to report, that they organ
men on July 8. They have held meetings
from time to time since, and the result
will be found in the report Of" the super
visor of the work, which was accepted
and adopted by TIE committee. They |
recommend that 1000 copies of the
mayors message, the report of this com |
mittee, and the report of the supervisor
with the accompanying appendixes), be |
printed for distribution; believing that
the more thoroughly it is understood, the
better will be the results attained.
The taxable value of the real estate
when the committee took hold was &c.
500, 1923. The committee report and de-
scribe fully by the accompanying charts
the market value of this real estate as
being $27, 1886, 1855, not including real es-
tate of corporations used in connection
with their business. Included in this
amount is $443, $40 of real estate not be-
fore listed. 1t rests with the council.
therefore, to decide what per cent of this
amount shall be the future basis of taxa
ton. For example, if you should fix it at
40 per cent, it would be as follows:
40 per cent of $27, 100000 S1O,912, 900
Personal est and corporations, 1000, 900
Making the grand list, S14,912, 900
AS against $40, 600, 900 last year.
| Our appropriations will call for next
year, say $3.50 900, therefore 20, instead
of a 80 mill tax, would produce that
amount. One of the most troublesome
questions is the custom of strangers pos-
sibly irresponsible men) coming here at
all seasons of the year, selling bankrupt
nothing to the city. This is very unfair
to our merchants. We recommend that
the council see to it that some proper
remedy is put in the new charter. They
also recommend the passage of the follow
ing vote:
Voted, That the board of relief be re-
quested to adopt the valuations las g
whole and the recommendations of the
committee for the revision of taxes.
They also recommend that the city at
torney be instructed TO prepare bills for
public and special act, covering recon-
mendations 2 and 3 i'll the supervisory
report, and to advocate their passage be
fore the general assembly.
All of which is respectfully submitted
G. r. BALDWIN,
E. B. REILEY,
Il J. P. KELLOGG,
j. H. HART.
SUPERVISORS REPORT.
To the Joint Committee for the Assess
ment of Taxes:
Gentlemen: On July the common
council passed the following vote:
Voted, That the mayor and one alder
council and one councilman, be APP
| pointed a committee to act with thu
board of selectmen of the town of Water
bury in making a proper assessment o
the taxable property in the city and town
with the power of employing suitable mel
for that purpose, and that the city will
pay its proportion of the necessary ex
pense.
Pursuant to the above vote Mayo
| Baldwin, Alderman Kelley, Presiden
Kellogg and Councilman hart ON the par
f; of the common council, and Selectmel
Pinney, Carmody and Brown Representing
the town, met July s and organized as
joint board with Mayor Baldwin as chair
, man and Selectman Brown as secretary.
After a general discussion the under
, signed was appointed supervisor of tn
work, with power to employ such assist
ance as he might need; and he wa
ordered to formulate a scheme and repo1
at an adjourned meeting. At the ad
journed meeting, held July -, the pla'
found in appendix A was submitted an
3 adopted, and he was ordered to conduc
the work on that basis.
Quarters were immed ately secured
< men employed and blanks ordere
printed, and, on July II the work G
measuring and describing the property
and rewriting the blanks in the Office wa
3 begun. The work of measuring wa
finished September 80, but owing to tn
: limited number of men that could profit
3 ably be used in the Office, and on accour
lists, it took until October 90 to finish tn
rewriting and comparing. This inaccr
2 racy in the old lists cannot be charged t
1 the incompetency of any one board G
assessors; but is rather the result of a
accumulation of errors caused by the il
q adequate time each board has had t
make their lists.
In Appendix will be found deta
Z list of 212 pieces of real estate found b
US, upon WHICH no ldASS have UcOA Pal
for longer or shorter period. The tai
: able value of this real estate las assesse
by the valuation committee) is SIT, 53(
or an additional revenue to the city
town and center school district of So, sc
3 per year In Appendix G will also
I found the name and location of 425 PEE
sons engaged in business, who did ne
pay any tax on such business in 1890.
During the month of October, throug
the courtesy of the assessors, an accurat
Il copy of the lists sworn to was taken. TIL
showed errors in our work of only 1-20 {
g per cent, all of which have since bee
8 corrected.
e The taking of the copy also enabled I
to give to the assessors, the second da
after they stepped receiving lists, an a.
f curate record of all real estate and bus
e ness not handed in and sworn to in 1879
d On November 3 the blanks were sent t
g the binders, being bound by streets, int
y twelve volumes. The volume compile
alphabetically by names is also completed
41oo1 I,