The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1892-06-10
THE CITY ASSESSMENT
Gross Incompetence or Criminal Negligence
6fcity Assessor A Few Examples
of Their work. Fde

number OF gross errors In the assessmen
of last year and in q general way men
toned a few of them. Mr.. Wilkinson
statements caused considerable common
ard conjecture among taxpayers and som
expressed the opinion that the statement
were not well founded. This morning tn
UNION informed Mr.. Wilkinson that the in
terview with him last Wednesday had no
been satisfactory and requested him, if h
could do So to substantiate the statement
contained in it by giving examples of tn
inequalities in last years assessment which
he had stated existed.
In answer to this request Mr.. Wilkinson
said that not until his work was done coult
he give the changes in the assessment
made by him but that he would give tn,
following as a few examples Of either til,
i~ncompetency or carelessness of former
assessors.
In the Boulevarda ddition the ~ive-roon
house of Sarah E. French near R. c. Lakes
residence has been assessed Mt S12O. while
a three room house in an adjoining bloch
worth less than one-half the French house
is assessed at $500.
John Blacks house, 1Gx22, one story, il
Simmons addition south of Chitty's hote
has been assessed at $27O while Dominick't
house of equal value, just across the street
has been assessed at $40. There are many
more instances of this kind.
Among the houses not assessed at al
we're the five houses IN Feigel's row on the
north side, two other houses in the same
block, ~Thompson's brick house, and two
other, houses in the North Side addition
two houses below the School,of Mines and
many others. The owners of these build.
ings have paid taxes IN a large number OF
lots in the aggregate and supposed the
houses were assessed. Many property
owners stated that they have not seen an
assessor for years. One property owner
stated that he had lived and owned proper.
ty here for six years but had never before
this year seen a city assessor.
Continuing Mr.. Wilkinson said:
The real property within the city limits
has been assessed as if each addition were
IL city Or village of itself, situated in differ
ent localities, assessed by different men on
a different basis, and afterwards brought
together to form one contiguous property
for tho nrrroca nf ~ o.l k..A
of this are found where ad-
ditions join or abut against the original
TOWNSHIP. Va ,ant lots i'll Simmons addi-
lion are assessed at $50 while similar
lots adjoining in Blake's additions
are assessed ut S13.
Lots near the School of Mines are rs
SeSsed at 500 Willie on the north side
lots having the same market value haye
been assessed at 50.
In Brennan and Sweeney's addition
lots on the north side OF block 81 of
equal value alternate in assessment the
rating being $27., S43., $27., SAB. In
the same block a,corner lot is assessed
o. greg III a IplilCl NV CtCIOSS Tie
street nearer town OF equal or greater
value is assessed ut Sc. In some cases
buildings that burned down three years
ago have been assessed right along.
In Riverside addition lots which are selling
on very long time at SIoo. and not to exceed
S11o. have been assessed in a very large
number Of instances at sos. to $Is5. each,
while in Boulevard addition lots held and
transferred at $3.50. to $500. each have been
assessed at SIS. to SIS.
Over one dozen of the rear lots of Imogcne
Burr's property in Riverside which are in the
creek bottom and only eight, seven feet long
without the advantages of an alley are as
sessed at SIS each while full lots SIMILARLY
located and nearer the business centre are as
scssd al $40 to SIS. Carrie J. Hecker's
Riverside lots are assessed at SI55. to s1S5.
and Florence Chase's lots about the same,
while other adjoining lots are listed at less
than one-half that amount.
In Boulevard addition the property of Hib-
bard Spencer and Co., some foreign hardware
firm, although decidedly the most valuable in
that block are assessed at SIS each while adj
joining lots Of much less value belonging to
Ii. L. Bailey ct al are listed at $3.50, or more
than 90 per cent higher. In block 80, Boule-
ward addition, Fred 7. Evans lots are as
scssed at sos while similar lots adjoining be-
to Lake and HALEY are assessed
at sos.
In one instance 4 man who own, property
i'll town proved upon a ranch and in borrow
ing money to make proof found a personal
tax against him in the city Of SI3.75 when
he never owned any personal property in the
From the showing here made it appears that
Mr.. Wilkinson was perfectly justified in his
Of the manner in which the assess
mc,lt has been made in former years.
ReSplpti,,s