The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-30
MAY NOT ASSESS IT
TAXES MAY NOT HAVE To BE PAID
ON NEW PROPERTY.
TAXES FOLLOW ASSESSING
ALDERMAN DIXON HOLDS THAT 1T
MAY NOT BE ASSESSED.

of Real and Personal Property In
the New Section That Has Been
Incorporated, Provided no Tax
payer of the Old Section objected.
Would Not Apply TO Specific Tax
es-MayOr Myers Interview Wide
Iy Discussed-He Says no Blame
should Attach TO City Attorney.
Statement From Mr.. Adams and
Others Interested I'm the COnten-
tiOn Over the Failure of n Tax
Exemption CIause's Appearance
in the Bill Extending Limits.
A sentiment for relieving from taxa
tion real and personal property affected
by the recent extension of the city linn
its is general among the members of
Council. Several were seen yesterday,
and not one failed to state that he ap-
proved the suggestion that exemption
be allowed for term of three years.
It seems very probable that this
course will be followed. The Mayor has
advocated it, He was for it when the
question of extending the city limits
was under advisement. and in his wide
ly-discussed interview in the Morning
News yesterday he declared that he
was still for exemption from taxation
of real and personal property within
the new district even though there was
no clause in the bill extending the
limits providing for such exemption.
The Mayors idea was that Council
would not force the payment of taxes
by owners of the property taken in by
the extension. He considered that no
effort would be made to collect the
taxes, and that next fall some clause
might be introduced as an amendment
to the bill. relieving property owners
from liability for taxes for three years
from the date of the passage of the
biu.
should Not BE Assessed.
Alderman Dixon was thoroughly in
accord with the suggestion for the re-
lief of the property owners but he Of
fered a different solution. He said
that property, real and personal, has
to be assessed before it can be taxed.
The city, he said, should simply not
assess the property newly Incorporated.
That would mean that it would not
be taxed.
This gave rise to the question as to
whether a demand might not be made
by some taxpayer of the older section
of the city for the assessment of the
property. The alderman replied that
such a thing might happen, and that,
in such case, there would be nothing
for the city to do but assess the prop
erty.
81 knew all the while" said Alder
man Dixon, who was chairman of the
Committee on the Extension of the
City Limits, that the bill included no
clause for exemption from taxation.
favored such exemption, but was ad-
vised by the city attorney that the
constitution would not admit of it
being legal. I knew what l was
voting for when the resolution was
passed. AS l was chairman of the
committee, / was naturally familiar
with the bill / could almost have
recited it verbatim
The alderman was asked If the pro-
posed exemption from taxation applied
to specific taxes. He replied in the
negative, saying that all specific taxes,
such as business licenses, would have
to be paid. 1t was suggested to him
that, If real and personal property was
exempted, business enterprises should
also be exempt. He answered that he
did not take this view. 1t was not
taken during the ten-year period of
exemption that accompanied the In
corporation of that section of the city
south of Anderson street
Mayor and MIR. Adams Talked
Mayor Myers was seen by Mr.. s. B.
Adams, city attorney, at the City Ex-
change and spent some time
over the interview given the
Morning News by the Mayor
The Mayor stood by the interview, but
said that it had not been his purpose
to reflect in any way upon Mr.. Adams.
but rather to ascribe the absence of a
tax exemption clause from the bill to
the representatives from Chatham, who.
he considered, knew that there had
been an agreement reached between the
city and owners of property to be
taken in, under which such an exemp-
tion period was to be embodied
The Mayor said to a representative
of the Morning News that possibly
Council was to be blamed for not see
ing that an exemption clause was in
the BILL but that certain ii was that
the legislators were also to be blamed
for the reason that they knew that it
had been understood that there was to
be such a clause. He took the view
that they either ignored this under
standing or did not familiarize them
selves with the bill If there was blame
for Council, the Mayor said that he
was willing to accept his share of ii.
He admitted that he and the other
members should have known what was
in the bill.
Alderman Watson was seen, as was
another alderman who did not want
his name used. Both said that they
had known what was in the bill and
were aware that the exemption clause
was not. They had heard the city at
torney say that IL would be unconsti-
tutional to introduce such a clause.
No Interest without Returns.
II knew nothing about the clause
not being in the bill until was pre-
pairing my annual report" said the
Mayor. "I was about to make a rec
ommendation to Council relative to
the purchase of lands in the new ter
ritory. 1t was my purpose to recon-
mend that no interest on notes given
for such land should be paid until
after three years. as l did not think
1t right that the city should pay such
interest before ii was receiving taxes
from the property in the new section
This resulted in an inspection of the
bill, when. to my astonishment, II de-
veloped that the clause was not en-
bodied. Council did not know the
property was not exempt, for no al
lowances for taxes from II was made
when the budget was fixed for the
year.
when the last extension of the city
limits was made the exemption clause
Gid not apply to specific taxation.
do not see why such taxes should be
n a