Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-08-02
Payment 81 Stone Road Benefit


There seems TO be nsisappreh ension In the
minds Of tho township collectors and other town
ship officials Ia Gloucester county in refsrcnce
to their duties under the provisions Of the act
teptftled .An Aos TO provide for the permanent
Iimproyement OF public roads of this State. . as
regards the time Of payment of the ten per
lcent. assessments levied on the AUDITING prop
ierty owners, 10 the county collector, under the
order OF the Court confirming the as sessment Of
com unissioners for peculiar benefits. Several Of
the collectors haYe failed 70 pay over the full
amount assessed on lands in their respective
townships on the plea that moneys so assessed
had not been paid TO them by the properly own
| ers against whom such taxes had been levied.
The thirteenth section of the act provides that
after the commissioners. who shall have been
appointed to estimate and assess the peculia
benefits conferred by improvements made upon
the lands and real estate fronting or bordering on
any roads improved under the act have presented
their report and their report has bsen confirmed
by the Court, the Court shall require the 30 me
| to be forthwith fled with the county clerk, aud
certified copies thereof and OF the accompanying
map and of the rule OF order confirming the
report 10 be promptly delivered 20 the county
collector, one copy for said county collector
and one copy for each township collector in
which the assessed lands may lie the county
collector shall retain one Of the said copies for
1 his own use and shall forthwith give one TO the
collector of the township In which the assessed
/ lands may lie; each township whose collector
shall receive such certified copy shall, by its
proper disbursing officer, within six months
after the date OF the said order of confirmation.
/ pay the amount Of assessments appearing by
said report TO have been assessed upon the lands
situate in such township
Solicitor Watkins. of the Gloucester County
Board OF Chosen Freeholders. has advised
County Collector Pierson that the true intent
and meaning of above provisions of the law are
that the township collector must pay to the
county collector the full amount due for assess
ments on lands within the township within six
months from the date of ths order of the Court,
without reference to the circumstances as 10
whether the individual owners have paid their
assessments or not.
The sixteenth section provides that the col
lectors of the townships tshaIl. as soon as the
reports are delivered to them, give notice to the
owners OF lots and tracts of land appearing by
said report TO be assessed, of said assessment
and of the time within which the same are re-
quired to be psid; all such payments shall be-
come due and payable to said collector within
six months from the date of the order Of the
confirmation of the report of the commissioners.
| The seventeenth section provides that in case
of non-payment Of assessments upon any lot or
tract of land, that the township committee may,
as they shall deem proper, either bring an
action ON contract in any court of competent
jurisdiction, against the owner or owners of
such lot or tract Of land for so much money laid
out and expended by them for the use of such
owner or owners or they may proceed to collect
such assessments by sale of the lot or tract of
land whereon such assessment has been
! imposed, or may be lien in the same manner
and to the same extent as lands are now sold
for unpaid taxes in such townships.
The duty Of the township collector and town
ship authorities to obey the order of the court
seems therefore to be plainly provided in the
thirteenth section of the act, requiring prompt
payment of the whole amounts assessed to the
county collector. while the sixteenth and seven
teelth sections give ample power to the town
ship authorities to collect from the property
owners the amounts thus paid to the county
collector.
The townships in Gloucester county now de-
linquent on fun payments are Deptford. Wash
ington and Glassboro balances being due from
each, aggregating in the whole over $4,000. The
collector of each township has been notified, and
the township authorities viii doubtless see that
the respective amounts due are promptly paid.