The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-01-22
THE REMEDIAL BILL.
FOR TNEQUITABLE CIR EXCESSIVE
 ASSESSMENT OF PROPERTY.

4SSESSM TENT OF PROPERTY.
 Approved and Recommended by New
 Haven's Chamber of Com m cree to be
 Placed Before the General Assembly
 To-day.
 The bill originated by H. c. Rowe of
 this city and introduced by him before
 the New Haven Chamber of Commerce
 presenting a way of relief to taxpayers
 who may regard assessments made against their property as inequitable and excessive and which was unani- mously endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce for presentation to the lesis- lature, will be presented to the legisla- ture to-day by Senator James F. Bree. The Chamber appointed the following committee to secure the bills passage. Ex-Lieutenant Governor James D. Dewel chairman; Henry c, Rowe, General George H. Ford, Lawyers Hen ny G, Newton, c. s. Hamilton, and Isaac Wolfe, and Major T. Attwater Barnes. The bill does not abrogate or affect at all present methods of obtain ing relief in cases of the kind in ques- tion as the eleventh section says ex- plicitly: Nothing in this act shall be construed to prevent resort by any taxpayer to any means of relief against over-assessment under existing laws" Some of the leading features of this inn portant proposed measure as presented and discussed and approved by the Chamber of Commerce have been here tofore presented in our columns, but sections of the bill in it's fully complet- ed form are as follows:
 Section 1-wAny taxpayer in the city of New Haven who believes that any piece of real estate in said city owned by him is assessed at more than its fair market value, may, within ten days af- ter the 31st of December in any year. file in the town clerks office of the town of New Haven, written offer under seal to accept, at any time on or before the 18th day of the following May, a sum not exceeding 80 per cent. of the assessment, for a conveyance of such real estate, with certificate as to title, showing that he is competent to make such conveyance.
 Sections 2 and 3 provide that in the event of failure of the board of relief to reduce the assessment complained of, the board shall proceed on or before February 10 to advertise in daily papers such real estate for sale upon sealed hf6S to ha 6la6 in, ho o1o of flee between the 1st and 10th days of April, certified checks to be deposited payable to the city treasurer. of five per cent. of the amount bid. All of the bids so filed are to be opened by the board of relief between the 10th and 2Oth days of April, the owner of the property in question having been duly notified to be present at the opening of the bids.
 Section provides-"If no bid shall be received exceeding the price named in such offer, or if no bidder shall com- plete the purchase as herein provided, or if the board of relief shall fail to ad- vertise the said real estate, the assess ment shall thereupon be reduced by the board of relief to the amount of such offer, and if the property be sold under the proceeding herein provided, the as- sessment shall be reduced by the board | of relief to the amount paid for the | under such proceeding
 Section 5 provides for the due transfer of the property if any bid or bids shall 1 be equal to or greater than the price | named by the ownes' of the property | in his offer, together with the items of | expense incident to the transaction. If the owner fails to complete his part in the case "One half the excess, if any above the price named by the owner and the necessary expenses shall be paid to the owner, and one-half to the city of New Haven.
 Section 6-If such highest bidder sha' fail to complete the purchase, the real estate shall then be sold to the next highest bidder, in the same manner as provided in section 5, and if he shall fail to complete the purchase, then to he next highest, and so on until there De no more bids of an amount Nufflcient 70 cover the price named in the offer md the costs
 Section 7-Every bidder who shall fail Q complete the purchase when he is untitled to do so, as hereinbefore pro- yided, shall forfeit his deposit, one lalf to be paid to the owner of the real state and one half into the city treas Try. Section 8-If any owner having made uch an offer shall refuse to convey he real estate for the price named by Jim, he shall pay 10 per cent of its as- essed valuation to the city of New Haven. and the said city shall have z fen upon said real estate for said sum md interest, and the board of relief ; hall file a certificate of such lien, and i thereof may be enforced by evy, sale or foreclosure in the same ( manner as payment of taxes; and one- , alf thereof when collected shall be 'aid to the person making the highest id or his representative or assigns.
 
 lEW HAVEN WATER COMPANY l c