The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-08-28
NEW ASSESSMENT
HAS BEEN ORDERED
Board Of Revision and Appeals Comes Ia
a Decision.
HARMFUL EFFECT IS CLAIMED
Mr.. Chittcnden Says Lawsuits Will
Follow any Attempt to Impose I'm.
just Burdens on the Central City,.
Statement by Mr.. Oliver and Inter.
view with Assessor Fowler.

After some hesitation the board of
revision and appeals yesterday decided
upon new assessment. Opponents of
the project argued with them that it
was inadvisable to go to the expense of
Il new general assessment this year in
view of the fact that next year the
regular trienniel assessment is due.
The adherentS of the movement con-
tended that the inequalities of the pres
ent assessment are so numerous and of
such a flagrant nature that it would
be great injustice to those who are
bearing more than their just share of
the burden of taxation to allow the
abuse to continue, even for "a year when
there are means at hand to prevent it.
Those who favored the measure are
from the outside wards; those against
it are the central city councilmen.
Every member of the board of appeals
is from an outlying ward. The out
lying wards won.
The power of the board to order a
new assessment is found in the follow
ing excerpt from the act creat ting the
body:
Said board, majority of whom shall
constitute quorum, may in any year
other than triennial year. if they shall
deem new assessment necessary, on or
before the first day of September, issue
their prccept to the city assessors requir-
ing them to make out and return a full,
just and equal assessment of properly
within the city, or such parts thereof as
the said board of revision may deem adj
visable. and they shall take and receive
the tricnnal and yearly assessments as
returned by the board of city assessors,
ana shall have power and authority to re-
wise. equalize or alter such assessments
in any and every year by increasing or
reducing the vaiua tions. either in indi-
vidual cases or bY wards or parts of
wards.
The new assessment involves the ex-
penditure of about $4,000 for assistant
assessors. new books and the like.
There is no appropriation at present
for such an expense and the assessors
Will be compelled to wait till next year
for their pay.
Mr.. Oliver, one of the members of the
board, said:
we We're prompted to make this
move by the discoveries we have made
during the past few months in going
over the last assessment. There are
hundreds of cases Of nagrantly unjust
discrimination. This is true to q great =
er on less extent throughout the entire
city. but it is more apparent i'm the
central city wards. We have one in
stance OF property for which the own
er refused II cash offer of $5J. 600 which
Is assessed for only $1,000. There are
numerous other eases almost as bad,
but this one is sufficient to serve as an
illustra ton"
Mr.. Chittenden, who fought the move.
ment all along and who prevented
select council from reconsidering its
adverse action on the resolution advis-
ing the new assessment. said upon
learning of the boards action: "There
is going to be no end of mischief created
by this move. Those members of the
board of revision and appeals imagine
that central city property is under
valued. simply because they have dis
covered "A few cases of inequitable
assessment and because they are bas-
ing their comparisons in the fancy
prices which Il few lots brought during
the recent real estate boom, engineered
by the real estate agents. The central
city property holders will not submit
to this Unjust attempt to increase the
citNS valuation at their expense and
you can rely upon it that some very
lively litigation will result.
The board has power to correct any
inaccuracies that may come to their
attention and they should have been
satisfied To do this and not go to the
expense Of having twenty-one addi-
tional assessors to disturb the assess
ment throughout the whole city. The
creation Of those twenty-one new Of
ticers. to my way of thinking. did not
initiate in any way against the project
in the minds of the members of the
board"
c. s. Fowler of the board of assess ors
admitted that they had advised I'm favor
of a new assessment. He said he did
not care to discuss the present assess
ment for fear it might be taken as
criticism Of his predecessors. who made
it. In making the new assessment.
however he would say, the system en-
ployed in former years would he de-
parted from in many particulars. One
of these and the most important is the
method of fixing the value of property
The law directs that the valuation
snail be placed at a figure representing
what in the judgment of the assessors
would be a fair price at forced sale.
Mr.. Fowler remarked that land here
tofore has been assessed at one-third
of it's value and improvements at one
half. This, besides being illegal, as
City Solicitor Torrey has decided. puts
a premium on idle land and, if for no
other reason than the latter. should
be disproved of. The present assessors
propose to assess all property alike at
one-third it's market value. The loss in
revenue by this decrease in the valua-
tion of improvements will, they expect,
be more than entirely made UP for in
the general increase in valuation which
the new assessment contemplates.
ElREMEN'S INpORTANT NETTING