Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-07-13
COUNCIL 5 HARD TASK
The "Equalizing of Assessment
Values" Chief Subject I'm
der Consideration
REAL ESTATE ASSESSMENTS
Many Are Asking Whether They Will
Be Increased or Decreased, and to
What Amount-Honest Effort to
Comply With Statutes of state-In-
crease in Land Valuations.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Meines, July 13.-Will the real
estate assessment of the state of Iowa
be increased or decreased, and how
much? This is a question that is be-
ing asked by good many just now.
The state executive council, consisting
of Governor Cummins, Treasurer Gill
bertson, Secretary Martin and Auditor
Carroll, commenced work this morning,
as required by law, on the great task
of adjusting the taxation matters of the
entire state. In accordance with notice
sent out in due time the council devotes
today and Tuesday to consideration of
values as between different kinds of
property and between counties and in
any and all aspects of the subject"
BY reagon of change in the law at the
last session all this work is to be han
died before the assessment work proper
commences by the council. On Wednes-
day and Thursday the council will give
hearings on various phases of railroad
assessment, and later in the week the
telephones. express companies, car lines
interurbans, and other things will be
considered. For the present the coun-
ell is engaged on the equalization work
L. tfoe ,,I Nln
es Of property. Whatever may be done.
1t Is safe to say that when the council
has finished its work this year the
county officials of the state will realize
that there is state equalizing board
and that it Is clothed with some author
ity, and is making an honest effort to
see to it that the statutes of the state
are. compiled with. The council will
not do anything sensational or uneX-
pected. for the program was clearly
outlined in circulars sent to all county
officials and TO the assessors and local
ooag.i5 taefofe aay assessment WAS done.
Never before In the history of the state
has an attempt been made to get the
state officials so closely into touch with
every assessing district of the state.
The work done to prepare for this
euualizing has been enormous. and the
state officials Will be better prepared to
handle the subject than any OF their
predecessors. The council has been as
sured that a number OF persons Will
appear before that body and discuss the
matter and thus assist in arriving at
correct conclusions.
Ia 10
subject matter of assessments and
state equalizing has been utterly ne
elected in the past. 1t has been the
custom of the executive council Tor
years to merely pass over IN per-
functory manner the reports on assess
ments in the various counties. In case
of personal property assessments a few
changes were made and occasionally
an order was made to raise or lower
real estate in some county; but In gen
eral there was no real equalizing and
no effort to insist upon compliance with
the law. The result was, where the
county officials were disposed TO let
their assessments run down from year
to year, and stand on the books as
representing a grossly false statement
of values, the state officials We're pow
erless to do anything. They could not
be greatly blamed for this, because, as
a matter of fact they had not at their
disposal facts upon which to Judge as
to the merits of the different assess
ments. To have done real equalizlng
would have involved more guess work
than the council felt warranted In US
ING. But this year the process has been
40 canrQAQrv
council, A. II. Dawson, formerly mem
ber of the house from Lyon county IS
a most jealous servant OF the state
and he has made a special STUDY OF as
sessment and taxation matters. ne
was clothed by the council with author-
ity to gather information tnat "ouiu
enable the council to judge whether or
NOT the counties are trying to live up
TO the plain requirements OF the stat
ute. He has secured information such
as no body Of state officials ever pelore
had before it, The record OF actual
land sales, and the assessment thereon
every land sale in the state IN l901-
is a bit of evidence as TO the re-
lation between assessments ana actuai
values that will not be questioned py
anyone. The estimates which ne mas
procured from each and every county OF
what assessments ought to be IN All
counties is also valuable
for reference as showing the views OF
competent persons as to the correctness
of the assessments. In addition TO TINS
the council will have before 1t persons
from different parts of the state TO
exp,ain their assessments, TO protest
a against compliance with the law or. to
assist in gieing the council Il correct
of the situation.
That the assessment matter Is one
which needs some attention is lhaleated
bv some information which has reached
state officers on the side. The board of
of certain county OF
Iowa did its work OF
equalizing by merely reducing assess
ments where they appeared to be higher
Than in other townships. When the
chairman was asked why the assess
ments we're not put up TO where they
ought to be he said:
20. know we are assessed 700 low
and that the assessment ought to go
no great deal: but let the state board |
lake responsibility for that. They
lon't have oidepend on the votes Of