Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-21
WATER MAIN TAXES.
Draft of Bill Relating to Assessments
and Rcasse SIS ments.

The District Commissioners the 14th Of
last month submitted to the House Dis
trict committee a draft of a bill relating
to the assessment and reassessment of
water main taxes In the District. The OBJ
ject of the proposed law was the reduc-
ton Of the cost to property owners of pub
fishing notices of the levying of water main
assessments, which, under the present law
largely exceeds in many cases the amount
of the assessments. This draft proposed
to reduce the number of insertions of these
notices, but to retain the provision that
published notice should be given in all
cases. Since then they have reached the
conclusion that the published notice should
be omitted entirely in cases where per-
Sonal service can be made upon the owners.
agents or tenants of the property affected,
and that it should be only required where
such service shall be found impracticabIe.
The personal service, they explained in a
letter to Representative Babcock. char
man Of the House District committee N
which they incloSed a substitute measure
is made by inspectors whose salaries are
paid from general appropriations. The cost
OF such service Is not made a direct charge
upon the property owner, while the present
law requires that the cost Of the published
notice shall be assessed, together with the
tax itself. against the property. The great
majority of the owners of property IN the
District, the Commissioners stated, are
prompt in paying their assessments when
IiotHlSd thil lHey are uur, anu IL Is DeEeNSu
by the Commissioners that the public spirit
of the property owners in this respect
should be recognized by keeping these
charges at a minimum. AS personal serv-
ice is the least expensive and readiest way
in which they can be reached, the Commits
Sloners believe that property owners should
not be put to the extra expense of paving
for published notice. but that it should
only be required where the property owner
Is not accessible to the inspectors.
Therefore, the Commissioners drafted and
transmitted to the committee a substitute
measure. This was published in The Star
Saturday. In transmitting it the Com
missioners recommended it's early enact
ment. 1t embodies their views, as above
stated, and also provides that water main
assessments shall be payable In three in
stead of four installments, as at present;
that the rate Of interest on the deferred
payments shall be per cent, instead Of
10 per cent, as at present, and omits the
provision in the existing law which allows
an abatement of per cent for the prompt
payment Of such assessments.
The proposed reduction in the number of
installments is in conformity to the method
generally in vogue In regard to other spe-
cial assessments; the reduced rate of In
terest Is believed by the Commissioners to
be as high as the municipality is justified
in demanding without being low enough to
encourage voluntary delinquency on the
part of the taxpayer and the proposed re-
peal of the abatement now allowed Cor
prompt payment is intended to discontinue
a gratuty which has ceased, they state, to
have any advantage to the District, II
such 1t ever had, and does not apply to
any other assessment or tax due the Dis
trict.