The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-15
BOARD OF APPRAISERS
Hard at Work on the Valuation
of the County.
1T IS A TEDIOUS TASK
Several Hundred Plats and Maps Exam
ined-A Separate Value Will Be
Placed on Each Lot-Much
Time Required.

The county board of appraisers, which
is composed of p. j. Brophy. David J.
Charles and j. p. Collins, is still in ses-
sion, and is engaged in a conscientious
but tedious task of placing an honest
valuation on every foot of ground in
Silver Bow county. To do this 1t has
been necessary to examine and COM
pare several hundred plats and maps OF
city additions and lode claims some
thing no previous board has ever done.
For a number of years certain addi-
tons had been appraised in a lump by
placing the same valuation on every
lot, regardless of the real value or one
as compared with another, and for some
years there has been no change in the
appraised valuation of such property,
although the market value has nearly
doubled. The present board aims to
place a separate and distinct valuation
on each lot and Is doing so and enters
upon the records a proper description or
every lot and piece of property In the
county, something that has not been
done heretofore. The law limits the ses-
sions of appraisers to IL days, unless
extended by the judge Of the district
court. 1t was probably due to the short
time that prior boards did not make
more detailed appraisement. The pres
ent board has already asked and Sc
cured two extensions of time and will
probably be in session at least all this
week yet.
ITO make a proper appraisement Of
the county would require at least two
months" said a member of the board
yesterday. THE appraisers should see
personally every lot and piece of ground
so that an intelligent judgment of val
uation could be formed. on the plats,
by which we have to go, every lot APP
M 90 althnYrb lpt
be of great value and the adjoining one
may be down in a gulch and be abso-
lutely worthless. So far as we have per-
sonal knowledge we are trying to
remedy such inequalities of appraise-
ment by placing a separate value on
each lot
An example of the tedious work of
appraising property is shown by the
boards experience with the Lizzie lode,
which covers valuable portion of the
| city on East Park street. The Lizzie
lode has never been plated into city
! lots yet there have been over so lots
sold on the lode by metes and bounds,
and the lots are of all shapes and sizes,
so that it is necessary to estimate a
| value for each one after determining the
| size, depth and taking into considera-
| tion the location. Several other lode
| claims present the same problem.
In going over the city plats inch by
| men anu comparing one Will the
| the appraisers have discovered several
| tracts of ground of which there is no
| record and have heretofore escaped tax
alton. One of such pieces of ground lies
| between the Silver King and Plymouth
additions. 1t is ATS feet long, feet wide
! at the east end. 80 at the other and AZ
in the center Another piece of ground
of the kind adjoins the Stephens addi-
ton between Mercury and Galena
| streets.
Generally the appraised valuation in
the city and county is being raised ma
terially by the board. In the business
| portion of the city there Will be no
change from last year, but in the east
ern part of the city notably ON East
| Broadway, in the Leggat & Foster and
Talbot and Jones additions, there has
been a considerable raise, in some in
stances as much as 40 per cent. The
valuation being placed on the apprais-
| ers' knowledge of the market value OF
real estate in that part of the city. Or
the west side, as far as the city side
walks extend, there has also been {
raise in value, also on lower Montana
street There have also been many re
| auctions on property known to be of NJ
great value. 1t has been the aim of tn,
board to equalize values. rather than in
crease or decrease them.