The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-03-26
EFFORTS TO REnEDY THE UNJUST
VALUATIONS.
1t is Thought to be Useless to Deal
Further With the COuncil--A An APP
peal to the County Board for Relief,
Through Committee Appointed at
Last Nights 1eeting--The Legal
Points Explained

/
was held at the Commercial club
rooms last night to hear the report oil
the committee which appeared before
the council Saturday night and asked
for action to secure relief from the
unjust valuations placed on some real
estate by the aldermen acting as a
board of equalization last summer.
Mr.. Wise made report of the meet.
ing with the council. He said that
the council had refused. to comply
with the request of the committee
that property that had been advanced
be put back to the assessors figures.
The council had appointed com.
mittee to hear complaints in indi-
vidual cases, the council to act upon
the report of The committee before
making any recommendations TO the
county board. The council committee
had deferred action until after this
meeting. The committee would have
an endless task, as there are 300 to
400 cases TO be considered. The
county board at the present meeting
had recommended a number of abate-
ments of personal property taxes, and
one of real estate, on atfidaVitS made
by City Recorder Brown, one of the
grounds being that the parties had
not been notified of the intended
raises.
County Commissioner Hannay was
called upon for remarks and said that
the board feels that an injustice has
been done and that the meeting has
reason for its action. He said that
he was not in position to know what
action the board would take upon the
applications for abatement Of the ex-
Cess taxes on real estate.
Mr.. Hubbard said that there was
was no disposition shown Saturday
night on the part of four of the alder
men to grant relief. One or two had
conceded that an injustice had been
done and were willing to act. 1t did
not appear that there was any posi-
BILE chance that the council would
put the assessments back to the as
SCISSORS figures, and it would be a
waste of time to appear before that
body again, as it will not do anything.
1t might be we'll to wait until new
council is elected and bring the mat
ter up. 1t was believed that the
county board would do all it could to
secure ATTACHMENTS. ,.
County Commissioner Roberts ex-
planned that the real estate abate-
ment recommended was that of Henry
Hillesheim, where a clerical error had
been made. The land comprises ten
acres on the Eagle Lake road, and had
been assessed hitherto at 800, but the
council raised it to $1,000. On the
records the valuation appears as ST.
700, and the aldermen signed petit
tion asking that the valuation be put
back to 800, which was done. City
Recorder Browns endorsement on the
personal property applications had
been taken because it was official.
Mr.. Wise said that the inequality
of valuations was good basis of COM
plant.
Attorney W. E. Young was called
upon to state what course should be
pursued to obtain relief. He said
that the raises in valuations were not
legal unless the property owners had
been notified. The reason for these
notices is that the property owners
may go before the county and state
boards of equalization. The state
auditor can abate taxes in individual
cases, where the abatement is unani-
mously recommended by the county
commissioners and signed by the
county auditor. This course would
be better than law suit, as the lat
ter would be long and expensive The
council says that people have never
been notified before, but this is no
legal excuse. An injunc Jon could be
secured against the officials to restrain
them from collecting the taxes, but
it would require time and money to
do this. Unpaid taxes would be a
cloud on the property, land if the latter
is sold an action cOuld hp takop RI "a