Omaha daily bee., 1896-06-21
INCREASE IN ASSESSMENT
Commissioners Raise the Water Works VAL
uation Almost 100000.
REDUCTION IN THE GENERAL TAX LEVY
Less Than Last Year by the Amount
Levied for Poor Farm Judgments
Decrease in the Total Nalu-
alton of SS42.925.O4.

For the FIRST time in the history Of
I Douglas county one OF the great iranchised
| corporations has been placed in the same
! category. as far as taxation is concerned
[ as the toiling mechanic, who is struggling
/ to pay the tax levied on his little home, foT
| the support Of the county government. This
was accom- lished by the county commis-
! siOners Yesterday afternoon. when the mem
bers, sitting as a board Of equalization in
| creased the assessed valuation OF the per
sonal property Of the American Water
Works company from Slco.Sl0 to S2S6ii'. an
! increase Of $ls5.637 This amount. added TO
the assessment OF the real estate belonging
to the company. makes the total valuation
OF the property OF the water company
SiO0. 900. or one-tenth OF the amount for
which the property was recently sold at
| public sale.
Before the county board OF equalization
| Yesterday morning. complaints were heard
against the assessment Of the real estate ana
personal property Of the American Water
| Works company. The camplainants We're
Lyman Richardson and Fred II. Davis, both
of whom alleged that their own property
was assessed too high and that the property
OF the water works company was assessed
too low. Both complaints were heard al
the same time the first witness being At
torney Morris. who represented Lyman
! richardson.
filed by Mr.. Richardson was based on the
| general low assessment Of both the real
and personal property Of the water works
| company. The recent proceedings IN the
foreclosure and sale OF the property
| showed he said, that the property was
. valued at 81 900 900, at least, as that was
the price for which it was sold, whereas the
property was assessed at only a little over
500 600 which he thought was entirely out
, | OF proportion, as compared with the assess
ment OF private property.
| Nj Richardson was asked by r. :. Hall
who represented the water works COMPANY
how he came to make the complaint against
. the assessment of the water company. 10
this Nr Richardson replied that be had
made complaint because he thought the
property Of the company was assessed en-
tirely too low and that his own properly
( was assessed altogether too high. MT. han
70 attempted to show by Mr.. Richardson that
the latter had been urged by Commissioner
, | Kierstead to make a complaint against the
. water company. Mr.. Richardson emphat-
% Cally denied this and said he hau mace
. complaint against the assessment Of the
water company in former years because ne
= had always believed that the property OF
a that corporation had been assessed at
. | ridiCulously low figure, and this opinion
:, had been confirmed by the recent sale Of the
u property In reply to further questions,
Y Mr.. Richardson said he had not compared
II | the valuation OF the water works pTopsrl!
= with that of other corporations because ne
4 of the other corporations in the city.
5 RECORD OF APPRAISEMENT
: The complainant then introduced IN eYi-
n dence a certificate OF the clerk OF the lhlteo
A. States circuit court, certifying thaI the
y property Of the water company had oeeh
appraised. under the recent order OF sale al
n S.. 500 OOO the appraisement being nade
= April l6. The complainant also introduced
q in evidence the statement issued under date
! Of June g. by the bondholders committee
q which purchased the property at the fore.
. closure sale, showing how 1t was PROPOSED
: to issue bonds. and also showing the condl-
. tion Of the plant, all Of which appeared n
The Bee at the time the prospectus was
/ issued concluding with an estimate OF the
earning capacity Of the plant Whlch was
estimated az s22g. 900 in 1896 and gradually
increasing each year until the sum Of $2I3.-
900 was estimated to be the earning capacity
j. in 1900.
called as 2 witness by the complainants
&c He testified that he had made an estimate
J about year ago OF the money which would
be required TO duplicate the plant OF the
i company as it existed at that time He
IS had considered that part Of the plant IN
= Omaha and Florence, not taking into con
$ sideration the portion Of the plant in South
- Omaha. His figures at that time were that
the plant could be duplicated for about
~ 81, 900 900 Cross-examination did not change
Is Mr. Rosewater's testimony. but drew from
a him the statement that he had always held
+ the opinion that all franchised corporations
as compared with private property.
Attorney Parish. representing F. H. Davis
presented the case OF his client connnlng
- his statements almost entirely to a com
parison OF the property of his client with
: the block in Walnut Hill, on which one OF
n the reservoirs of the water company is situ-
- ated showing that the residence property
> | of Mr. Davis situated between Leayenworth
,f street and St Marys avenue just west OF
Twentieth street was assessed about twenty
d times as high as the block in Walnut Hill
D relative size being considered.
10 This completed the evidence OF the com
- plaiuants and Attorney Hall took the stant
10 testify for the water company. He con
fined his testimony TO explaining the recent
: ! sale OF the property. saying II had been bio
| in by the mort tgagees in order 10 save them
selves. He admitted that the appIaisemen
was high but said the bondholders had no
objected 10 z high appraisal in order tha
no question might be raised by the opposi
/ ton on the ground that the property haC
Ia been appraised too low. and thereby caus'
T. trouble when il was sought TO have the salt
L. confirmed. Tne property had been bid II
"A for 100. 900, he said, which was abou
$3.50 900 less than the mortgage. and aoou
= $500 900 OF this amount he said would q
to nav of the accumulated Indebtedness
n- making the actual cost Of the plant abOu
~ S3 500 900. The total assessment OF the en-
~ | tire plant OF the water company, includin!
A. | realty Mr.. Hall said vas about S2i0 900, am
IA he contended that this was higher than tn,
| assessment of any other corporation in tht
OF city In support OF this statement be cite,
~ the boards attention to the assessment o
nj | some of the other corporations. The Omahi
b. Street railway he said, assessed &
m so 900. the Gas company at 100000, tn
Electric Lighting company al $50 900 IN
Nebraska Telephone company al SIS 900, AM
the Omaha and Grant Smelter company a
of SEQ 600.
as This completed the evidence and the sew
q eral attorneys said that they did not car
Nt to argue the case,
e The board took the matter under advise
OF nent and al . O'Clock q resolution was
~ passed increasing the total assessment o
m the personal property Of the water cOmpan!
I'M Sls5 .C37 making the total personal assess
r ment t2s6 AL The assessment OF tbs
realty OF the water company, according Il
the figures obtained from the assessment
rolls by the county clerk is s103 553. Thh
makes the total valuation Of the property o
-k the company an even 500 .OO0.
re DECIDES on THE RAISE.
The members Of the county board hel,
be a long session behind closed doors durinl
& the noon hour yesterday and when the.
r entered the board room and convened as
"a board OF equalization. Kierstead introduce,
q long preamble and resolution, setting