Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-09-17
ASSESSORS RULES
THE STATE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
ADOPTS INSTRUCTIONS FOR
NEXT YEARS WORK.
County Auditor Hammond to Receive
Circular of Instructions for WapeIIo
County Assessors-Rules Governing
Assessment.

County Auditor /. H. Hammond is
soon to receive circular bearing the
instructions which are to govern the
during the coming year. These in
structions were adopted at a meeting
of the state executive council held in
Des Moines last Monday.
The instructions in part are as fol-
lows:
Section 1906 of the code says:
"Valuation-All property subject to
taxation should be valued at its actu-
al value, which shall be entered oppo-
site each item and shall be assessed
at 25 per cent of such actual value.
Such assessed value shall be taken
and considered as the taxable value of
such property upon which the levy
shall be made. Actual value as used
in this chapter shall mean its value in
the market in the ordinary course of
trade" A faithful compliance with this
statute is necessary to enable the state
board of review to fairly equalize as
sesSments.
Claims for Exemption.
Claims for exemption from taxation
should be noted when assessment is
made, showing the amount of road ex-
emption in acres and of the homestead
exemption in dollars.
The law relating to the exemption in
favor of soldiers or sailors of the Mex
lean war or the war of the rebellion or
unmarried widows of such is as fol-
lows:
'The property not to exceed (SSO0)
dollars in actual value of any honor
ably discharged union soldier or sail
or of the Mexican war or the war of
the rebellion, or of the widow remain
ing unmarried of such soldier or sail
or. 1t shall be the duty of every as
SCISSOR annually to make a list of all
such soldiers. sailors and widows, and
to return such list to the county audi
tor upon forms to be furnished by such
auditor for the purpose, but the failure
on the part of any assessor SO to do
shall not effect the validity of any ex-
emption. All soldiers, sailors or wild
ows thereof referred to herein, shall
receive a reduction of eight hundred
($S00) dollars at the time of said as
sessment is made by the assessor, I'M
less waiver thereof is voluntarily made
of said exemption at said time; but
this exemption shall not apply in case
of any soldier or sailor owing proper
ty of the actual value of five thousand
($5,000) dollars, or where the wire OF
such soldier or sailor owns property
to the actual value of five thousand,
($5,000) dollars"
The exemption referred to in the
preceding paragraph may be made
from either real or personal prop
erty, or personal property, or from
both.
Should Use Extreme Care.
1t is the desire of the state board
of review that the assessors report
the number and value of cattle in
feeding, using extreme care that cattle
SO reported are not included under
other heads, thus making double as
sessment.
All personal property exempted
from taxation should be omitted from
the assessment roll and only the ac-
tual value OF such portion of person
al property as is taxable should be
reported.
When obtainable inventories should
be used in assessing stocks of mer-
chandise, and when SO used the date
of the inventory should be stated.
Buildings on leased lands should be
assessed as personal property.
Automobiles should be entered in
the same column and be included in
the assessment of vehicles including