The Bemidji pioneer., 1902-02-13
official County and City Paper
SHOULD COUNTY BE DIVIDED.

tfa ~ & /
GONE advocates for the diyis
A ~ ion of Beltrarni county ar
opposing the issue OF bond
for the purpose Of building q ney
court house and Jail addition
And their opposition is based On
an erroneous idea. If bonds ar
issued and the court house built
they imagine that Bemidji vii
retain the structure without as
suning the Indebtedness fol
building the same. This is bis
mistake. The county that re
tains the public buildings vii
also inherit the debt, and the por
ton Of the county that Is set of
will be freed from it. Two weeks
ago, the PIONEER explained this
condition fully, but for fear some
skeptical may doubt our word,
we reproduce below our author
ity for the statement, taken from
the revised statutes Of Mime.
sofa:
Section 634. When there is any
bonded or other floating county in
debtedness outstanding against any
county out Of which any such new
county has been wholly or in part crt :
ated, the same shall be paid by such
old and new counties In proportion To
the respective valuations as shown
by the last general assessment OF
theii. portions OF the property OF the
& county or counties out OF which such
new county was created Provided:
That In case any such county, nut OF
which any new county has been in
whole or Ia part created, possesses
COUNTY BUILDIEGs ERECTED by THE
COUNTY, tho same shall be appraised
{ in the PRESENT VALUE THEREOF to
the county In which such buildings are
situated shall be ascertained as here
matter provided, and SUCH ApPRAIs-
ED VALUE OF SAID BUILDINGS SHALL
BE DEDUCTED FROM THE AMOUNT OF
SAID BONDED OR FLOATING INDERTED-
NESS 10 BE SO APpoRTIoNED ard the
remainder OF such Indebtedness only
shall be so apportioned between the
several counties; and the amount of
said remaining Indebtedness and
which equals and represents the said
appraised value Of said county build
ings) shall not be so apportioned
among such several counties, BUT
SHALL BE WHOLLY PAID BY THE
COUNTY WHICH HAS AND RETAINS
SUCH COUNTY BUILDINGS. Such
county buildings shall be appraised
and the present value fixed and de-
termined by three wholly DISTINGUISHED
persons, who shall be appointed by
the governor; neither of whom shall
be residents OF or owners Of taxable
property in either of the counties In
terested, and who shall take an oath
TO honestly and impartially appraise
and determine the present value CT |
such county buildings, and they shall
file their oath with the secretary Of /
state, and when they have made their
appraisal they shall state and certify
to the same in writing over their re-
spective signatures, and make aud
sign and file with the auditor OF each
of said counties one OF said certif-
Gates of appraisal; and such apprais-
al, when so made and certified to,
shall be final and conclusive and such
certificates shall be such evidence Of
the same. In making such appraisal
said appraisers shall consider the cost
OF such county buildings and allow
for subsequent wear and depreciation
thereof and determine the present VAL
ne thereof to the county.
There is not single reason
why the advocates of county d.
vision should be opponents of the
bond issue. There are many rea-
sons why they should join hands
with the bond advocates who
wish to erect the necessary build
ings before the burden falls
upon the farmers on cut-oyer
lands. At the present valuation
Of the county while the timber
remains the increase Of taxa
ton would be less than 20 cents
per 500 OF assessed valuation.
---
Over two-thirds of the remain
4. n r. n