The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-09-28
REDUCED Assessment
State Board of Equalization
Cuts City Twenty
Per Cent
And Increases the Country
Realty Valuations 10
Per Cent.
A Move in the Line of Fairness
and Justice to All
Concerned.

The state board of equalization Fri
day afternoon voted to reduce the
real estate valuation of the city of
Mankato 20 per cent, and to increase
the real estate valuation of Blue Earth
county outside of Mankato 10 per cent.
This information was first made
known Saturday by a letter from
John E. King, of Adrian, who is a
member of the board, to City Attor-
ney Daley, which is as follows:
''St Paul, Sept. 20, 1900
&C. o. Daley,
''Mankato, Mimi.
MY dear Daley: have the honor
to inform you that the state board
has reduced the real estate as
sessment of the city of Mankato
20 per cent. I hope this is satisfactory
to your fellow citizens.
'Yours,
John E. KING.
"P. S. Real estate in Blue Earth
county, exclusive of Mankato has
been raised 10 per cent
1t has been felt for some time back
that this would be the probable out
come of the case, as every disinterested
person who has learned of the facts as
they exist has stated that the city had
a good case and that the action of the
county board in adding to the asses
sor's returns ought to be reversed.
And before the state board the city
made out very strong case, and this
will be especially seen when it is
noted that there was no personal APP
pearance before the board from Man
kato.
After the action of the county board
in August declining to accede to the
request of the city to place the assess
ment back where the assessor returned
it, the board of trade appointed the
following committee to take the matter
up, gather such data and evidence as
might be necessary and present it to
the state board: A. G. Meyers, M. G.
Willard, Gaylord Lamb, J. W. An
drews, Jno N. Hall and W. L. Com
stock.
The city council also took the mat
ter up and directed City Attorney
Daley to take such steps as might be
necessary to get the matter before the
state board. Mr.. Daley has made a
strong showing before the county
board, and followed the matter up in
the same vigorous line in conjunction
with the board of trade committee and
received active aid from it's chairman.
The fact that Mr.. Daley was able to
make out such strong case in show
ing the inequality of the city and
county assessment, that the board upon
inquiry made the reduction without
calling for a personal presentation of
the case, indicates the able, candid
and strong manner in which Mr..
Daley presented the matter in his
brief letter to the board. The reduc-
ton asked for by Mr.. Daley in his
communication to the board was 204
per cent so it will be seen that the
board cut the request only d of one
per cent. This makes reduction of
1884, 31S. so in the assessment, as left by
the county board or within 81, 529 40
of the amount increased by the board.
The contention of the city that
gross injustice has existed in the mat
ter of real estate assessment in the
city as compared with the rest of the
county, is fully confirmed by the &C
tion of the board in raising the real
estate assessment of the county 10 per
cent This makes an increase for the
county of 1896, 800. 40 on its assess
ment of 81, 953, 204. This was mat
ter which the city has not referred to
nor presented in any shape to the
board, and there was general surprise
here when it was learned, but it shows
that the board took the matter up thor
oughly and acted accordingly. That
this cannot be regarded as hardship
even by the county, can be noted by
the fact that when the county board
made its equalization of county as
sessments the Mapleton Enterprise
remarked that the farmer had no kick
coming on the result. AS it now
stands the city real estate assessment
is considerably higher than that of
the country, but the city is satisfied
with the results attained and is con-
tented to let it rest as it is, as it is
more in line with exact and even JUS
tice than it has been for years
Wanted Man and wife to work on
farm by the season. Address Box 203,
CT pofar Miur