The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-10-18
WILL GIVE ONE-TENTn
Leon will Donate $1,000 in Addition
to Their Share of Taxes if a
New Court House is Built.

When the board of supervisors were
asked to again submit the proposition
to issue bonds for the erection of new
court house at the general election this
fall, the promise was made by a COM
mittee of Leon citizens that in response
to the demand from other parts of the
county that Leon make donation to-
ward the new building, that sum of
money should be raised as donation to
assist in paying for the new court
house. The committie appointed to
solicit subscriptions have been at work
raising money and have now secured
something over six thousand dollars,
ana when all parties have been inter-
viewed this sum will be increased to at
least $1,000, which is just one-tenth Of
the amount of the bond issue which is
to be submitted for the approval of the
people at the election next month,
which sum is in addition to Icons pro-
portionate share of the proposed court
house tax.
The total valuation of Decatur county
for 1905 was S17,075,9SS, and on this
basis it would only be necessary to levy
two mill court house tax for a period
of ten years to pay the entire cost of
the court house, including the interest
on the bonds. The proposition sub
mitted provides for the insurance of
$4,000 in bonds to be used for the
erection of new court house, and it
stipulates that this sum shall be in full
of the completed cost of the court house
to Decatur county. The two mill levy
would raise the sum of SS,537.99 each
year, or a total of $S5,3S0 in the ten
years, which would be more than
sufficient to pay off the bonds. The
total valuation of property in Leon is
1,121 ,064, and the tax on this valuation
in ten years would be $5,605.32 which
with donation of $1,000 would make a
total of $12,605.32 which the people of
Leon would pay as their share of the
$4,000 for the new court house. The
railroad, telegraph and telephone
assessment is S1,586,932, and they
would pay 81, 7,953.16 of the court house
tax, making grand total paid by Leon
and the railroad, telephones and ex-
press companies of S2O,540,49, or more
than one-fourth of tho cost of the new
court house.
Many taxpayers do not realize how
little new court house would cost
them. The two mill levy, which will
pay off the bonds in ten years, is small
one, in fact so small that if the people
who pay the taxes did not know they
were paying for new court house they
would never notice the difference in
their taxes. If taxpayer has $1,000
worth of property listed for taxation he
pays only one-fourth Of this valuation
which would be $3.50, and a two mill tax
on this sum would amount to only so
cents year or total of $500 for the
entire period OF ten years. If he had
property listed at $4,000, his tax would
be only $500 year. Can any property
owner in Decatur county afford to have
the public records jeopardized when a
new court house would cost them only a
few cents a year, and the chances
are that there would be no increase in
the total amount Of taxes paid each
year, for when new court house is
built it will result in quite saving
each year, as at the present time the
county is compelled to rent a number of
Offices outside the court house for
county officers, these being the county
attorney, county superintendent, and
for grand jury and trial jury. rooms
whenever court is in session, which
would all be provided for in new court
house.
1t is being claimed in some parts of
the county that the $4,000 asked for
from the taxpayers would only be a
starter in building new court house
and that the board would spend many
thousand more in completing the build
ing, but the proposition is worded in
very plain language which every voter
can read when he goes to vote on the
question, and it provides explicitly that
in no case is the cost of the new build
ing completed and furnished to cost
the county more than $4,000. That is
the proposition on which the voters
will express themselves at the polls.
Read it yourself and see if that is not
exactly just what it says and don't be-
lieve the rumors started and circulated
by persons who are opposed to this
county having new court house.
Think of it. Only two mill tax for
a period of ten years will pay for the
court house. The regular bridge fund
levy each year is four mills, or double
this sum. Leon with valuation of
over million dollars pays this bridge
levy every year for the benefit of the
country in building bridges and Leon
has no county bridges within it's limits.
benefit of all the people in the county
would be levied for all the people, not
for Leon alone.
Decatur county is the only county in
this part Of the state which is still
using an old court house entirely in
adequate to the needs of the county and
in keeping with the progress of the
county and her prosperous people. 1t
would only cost little from each
individual taxpayer to pay for the
court house, and it should be carried
this fall by handsome majority. If
would add materially to the value of
farm lands of the county, to say moth
ing of the protection to the property
owners and public at large in the
matter of having safe place in which
to keep the public records, which if
destroyed can never be replaced.
Every property owner who has had
occasion to secure loan or transfer
real estate knows what the fire has
cost them which destroyed the public
records of this county number OF
years ago. If the cost over that loss
has been expensive think what a