Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-05-17
A Reply to "Board of Review

A Reply to "Board of Review
Nearly 100 people visited the Cresc,
Driving grounds last Sunday. Las
Wednesday evening nearly 25 youn,
men OF the town gathered there t,
practice ball. The last Board of Re
view In the city council room of Ores
co, raised the taxed valuation of thes,
grounds from 81, 600 to $4 200, or near
iy l438 dollars per acre more than any
docks OF land of its size around it
This is rather hard pay and very pool
| thanks to the stockholders of this cor
oratlon-the Cresco Driving Park
for Its liberality shown to the public
In the past, and very poor encourage
ment for the continuance of the same
From the PLAIN DEALER of May 3
Were it not that the above state
ment is so far from the real facts ir
The case the undersigned would have
passed the matter bv, leaving the pub.
lie to judge for itself as to the justice
OF raising the assessed valuation OF
the Fair Grounds; but as the gentle
man who wrote the above article was
present with "the last Board of Re-
view In the city council room of Cres-
co" when the assessment was raised
from 81, 600 to S3,000-not S4,o00--and
expressed himself as being satisfied
with the action of the "Board of Re.
view" :" 1T seems strange that he should
give for publication an article so mis-
leading.
AS to the justice of raising the as
sessed valuation of these grounds will
say that "the stockholders,of this cor
poration" have been offered s4, 800 for
the grounds and the offer is now good.
Ihe BOARD of Review" owes the tax
payers an explanation for not raising
The assessed valuation to the cash
offer of 81, 500 on same. One reason
Ior not doing so may be given, Is that
the Board" gave due consideration
to the "literality shown the public in
the past. BOARD OF REVIEW.
AS the real estate pit of the Board
OF Review has spoken and made an
other bid, and as the writer of this
article met with the Board of Beview
on April 15, 1901, in behalf of the
Cresco Driving Park, the above criti-
cism may place me before the public
as saying something that had never
happened, therefore | give the public
the benefit of the notice dated at the
council chamber in CreSco, April 8,
1901.
To the Cresco Driving Park {Fair
GroundS:)
You are hereby notified that at
the adjourned regular meeting of the
Board OF Review Of the city of CreSco,
Iowa, held at the council chamber in
said city, April 8, 1901, that your as
sessment on the Cresco Driving Park
was raised from 1000 to $4,000, and
you are hereby required to appear be-
fore the Board on the 18th day of
April 1901, and show cause (if any you
havel, why such assessment should
not be made. Pc. HOWE.
Clerk of the Board OF Review, city of
CreSco, Iowa.
On the dated mentioned in that
notice | met with the Honorable
Board of Review and am thankful for
its cut Of 81 900 in the assessment. and
said that "if they thought it right |
would have to be satisfied with it,
right or wrong.
But l am more dissa tisfed with the
malicious insinuation, bearing the
ear marks of its author, than with
the assessment, and cannot allow it
to go unnoticed as it is a direct assault
upon the asSocia tion.
In assessing property for the pur-
pose of taxation, | know of no better
ne ethod than comparing it with like
property around it, On the night /
net with the Board of Review | ex-
planned to that body that the imrove-
nents and buildings on the grounds
were mostly the property of the How
ard County Agricultural Society and
should not be taxed to the Driving
Park Association, and l still think SO.
other real estate as feasibly located,
nearer to the town, with valuable i'm
belonging to the owners
of the land are assessed at s65.O0 per
acre, while the land of the driving
park without valuable building of its
own is assessed at nearly $4,000 per
acre. 1t is to the injustice of this
discrimination that the driving park
association complains. Either its
land is assessed too high, or the ad-
joining lands too low, and the Board
of Review can take which ever horn
of the dilemma it chooses.
While we were making this explain
alton to the Honorable Board of Re
view one of its members offered $4,000
for this property, and before I left the
room he raised bis own bid to 1880,
and now over the signature "Board of
Review" he makes another bid of
$500. What does the public suppose
the Board of Review wants of the fair
grounds? Now the thrifty" end of
this BOARD of Review" would be Just
as safe in Offering SO, 900 for this'proper-
ty as he is in offering what he has, as
it is not for sale at any price. Weare
very much obliged to - gentleman
for his broad, liberal thought in
"giying due consideration to the liberal
ity shown the public in the past" as
we are sure that that will go long
way toward keeping the boards on the
fence and shingles on the roof.
While the Cresco Driving Park has
been private corporation, it has also
been public one. 1t has been a bene-
fit to Cresco, and with the assistance of
tho Howar rd Cp,ntv rricultural Co.