The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-08-03
Lake County is Swatted by
State Board of Com
miSsioners.
FIGURES ARE TOO LOW
Valuation Submitted By Local Au-
thorities Not Sustained By
Present Body.
Especial to Lake County Times).

tSpeefaI TO Lake county lAmeSDs
indianapolis, Aug 3.-The state
board of tax commissioners has held
its last session, which adjourned today,
and it's final ultimatum raises the taxes
throughout the state on an average Of
10 per cent over those of years ago.
In a few instances the commission
raised the ass essment over the figures
submitted by the county boards of in
dividual counties. and Lake county is
among those which the state body
deemed entered at too low a valuation
The commissioners accordingly raised
the figures from pa per acre, which
was the average basis on which inn
proved and unimproved property was
assessed four years ago, TO $3O.65, an
increase of over 111a per cent.
For another four years the assess
ment as agreed upon today will stand:
The assessment returned by the
boards of review of fftyfour coun-
ties were not changed by the state
board. In this list are LaPorte county,
whose assessment this year averaged
$27.67 an acre, as compared with S27.24
four years ago; ST Joseph county
whose assessment this year averaged
$29.52, as compared with $2715 four
years ago; Wayne county 5000 as
compared with $36.10 four years ago;
and Vigo county. $37.13 as compared
with $30.9S four years ago. The figures
the assessors and county boards of re-
view of these four and fifty other
counties in the state were allowed to
stand as they were. In the estima-
tion of the state board. the assessments
returned were equitable. as compared
with other counties.
Lake County Raised.
In case of thirteen counties. the state
board made reductions from the figures
of the county boards. IN case of TWEEN
ty-five counties the state board did not
think that the assessments returned
had been made high enough, and in
creases from two to fifteen per cent
were made In this list of twenty five
counties comes Allen, whose asses sment
was raised five per cent over the as
sessment submitted, making the aver
| age { outside of the cities and towns,
| of course $3357 as compared with
| $31.4S four years ago; Lake, whose as
sessment was raised ten per cent, max
ing the average $30.65, as compared
| with $27.45 four years ago; and Hunt
! fngton. whose assessment was raised
| five per cent, making the average $32.-
! 45 per acre as compared with $31.02
| four years ago.
Outside of Marion county. with an
average value of $69.1S, Benton county
has the highest, $54.97. These two are
the only counties that have agri-
cultural lands and improvements that
average more than $50 an acre Craw-
ford county was assessed the lowest.
$4.9S per acre; next comes Perry coun-
ty $500; next, Brown county, S6.O6;
and next, Orange county. $9.0S All OF
the other eighty eight counties were
assessed more than $40 an acre
Hammond Realty Suffers Raise.
The assessment of lots and improve
ments at Hammond was increased ten
per cent; at Huntington. was de
| creased ten per cent; at Michigan City
South Bend, Fort Wayne. Richmond
and Terre Haute the ass essments on
the lots and improvements were left as
they were returned by the county
boards of the several counties
In case 10 changes We're made in
any county, either on the lands and lots
outside of the cities and towns. or on
| the lots and improvements within the
cities and towns, the county auditor
| will have TO make no changes in the
duplicate already prepared: each tax
payer Will pay on the basis that the
county officials fixed upon.
In case the state board made hori-
zontal increase of a certain per cent
| howevU,. the county auditor will have
TO add that per cent to the assessment
of every tax payer. And In case of a
decrease. he will have to decrease each
tax payers assessment by that PEI
cent. This will necessitate the making
of new abstract sheets.
Most interesting of the individual ap-
peals decided by the board at this the
/ closing session. was thaat IN tn,
case OF the assessor of Vanderburg
/ county against the Standard oil com.
pany This company had been as
sessed $4,000, and County Assessor
Charles z. Clarke contended before tbs
board that its assessment should bt
raised TO about $4,000. The boarC
took cognizance of his appeal, and in
creased this assessment to $9S.492.6 90
The largest increase was in the valu
alton of the Eureka Investment com
pany. this city. which was increaset
from $3.50 to the tune of S16o,o00.