Omaha daily bee., 1900-02-02
FEW COMPLAINTS OF TAXES
Values Are Appraised and Assessments Made
with Infr guent Protests,
SACKE11 MtK.SA SHOWING OF ECONOMY
In n Year when Deficit Are the Rule
the Tax commissioned Points to
Balance on Right side of
the LEDGE

In his report for the year ending Deem
Der 81 Tax Commissioner sackett calle al
tcntion to the limited number OF complaints
filed during last year before the Beard OF
Review and the Beard OF Equalization. Il
is demonstrated. he says, that the plan un-
der which the assessment OF property "a
made meets with the approval OF the tax
payers generally. The labor Of making the
assessments has been very much simpliRed
and the assessment for 1900 was levied with
perhaps the least possible friction between
the tax office and the property owners.
Taking UP the expenses incurred by his
office during last year, the tax commissioner
reports a balance on hand Of S497.SO. This
unusual condition in a year when deficits
are the rule is explained by the rigid econ
omy practiced even to the necessary inn
paifment Of the service.
In part the tax Commissioner report is
as follows:
While the result CT the 1900 assessment
is in a great measure satisfactory the opera
ton OF our present charter provision relating
to assessments does not accomplish the
result which a large number OF taxpayers
expected from 1t, nor is IL possible for this
department to. make an assessment which
will satisfy the general demand for a re-
duction OF taxes. Many Of our citizens had
hoped that with the Inauguration of a new
system of making assessments relief in that
direction would come, but they have
neglected TO note that the reason for main
tanning the present rate OF taxation is not
on account of the manner In which our
revenue laws are enforced, but that 1t is due
to defects in the original law, which were
not cured by the provisions OF the charter.
surrounded as we are with conditions which
are the result CT our own development, many
of which have a cnaterial bearing upon the
expense of cur government, and are now Of
such long standing that they cannot possibly
be changed, we are almost compelled to
submit to the inevitable and rest our hope
for a reduction in taxation upon the future
growth of the CITY. When the city shall
have grown so that all unoccupied territory
within our limits is improved or so that "A
reasonable amount OF it is developed and
occupied by taxpaying investments, our rate
of assessment may be lower since the
machinery of our government is sufficiently
extensive to maintain a city with four times
the present population of Omaha.
In the meantime our attention ought to be
directed to such Improvements in the rev.
enue laws of the state as are possible to be
made, especially a revision of the provisions
Of tha I act under which personal
property IS assessed. The city Of
Omaha is especially interested in
this feature and a comparison of the rev.
enue received from that source in Omaha
with the same items in other cities outside
the state of Nebraska will demonstrate the
Importance of this suggestion. Most es-
peCially should we direct our efforts toward
the development Of a more effective system
for the collection of taxes, particularly since
the method of contracting obligations rests
largely upon the promises of the taxpayers
to pay their assessments. This department
comes in such close touch with the taxpay-
ing population of the community that / am
perhaps more frequently reminded of these
conditions than is the head OF almoet any
for that reason l am prompted to submit
these suggestions.
The cost of conducting the department for
The year 1899 has been kept well within the
limit of the appropriation set aside by the
councll and the result in that respect is very
satisfactory, there being an unexpended bal
ance of the amount allowed this department
for the year Of S479.S so. This result has been
| attained only by the practice OF rigid econ
omy, even to the extent in some instances OF
impairing the service. but it has been my
constant aim to perform the. work required
of this department in the best possible man
ner within the limit of funds allowed. and /
think that it may be safely said that the ex-
penditures on account of the labor performed
by the tax department in this city are lower
than the average expenditure for that ac-
count in cities OF our class.