Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-12-17
DRAINAGE ASSESSMENT.

give to its readers an explanation of the
assessment made in the Dancy drainage
district, wrote to Kretlow & Lamont of
this city for information in reference to
/ 1t. The matter was referred to C. B.
Bird. attorney for the Dancy drain
| age commission, who wrote the follow
ing letter, which the Pilot takes
from the Times and republishes for the
benefit of all concerned:
WAUsAU, Wis Dec. 2, 1907.
Dear Sir
Your request that explain to you the
Dancy drainage situation, so that you
may promptly reply tc letter which
you have received from the publishers
of the Marshtield Times is al hand.
After extensive litigation the Dancy
drainage district was duly organized by
the court. The statutes authorizes
such organization where the court shall
find that low lands can be drained by
such a system at an expense SUBJ
stantially less than the benefits which
Will AOSoAt w tAO lauA LII tniS inSbduCC
the court finds that the lands will be
benefited substantially three times the
cost and the final finding contains a
table in detail setting forth under one
column the benefits found likely to re-
suit, and in the other column the
amount assessed for construction. 1t is
the latter amount, that is the amount
assessed for construction, and that only,
which is made lien on the land. The
highest assessment upon any one forty
for construction is 1892 90; the lowest
assessment $3.50, and the others vary all
the way between, depending upon the
amount of low land on the forty The
work is to be prosecuted at once and
the commissioners have sold bonds so
that they may raise the money at once
to complete the work. The payments,
however, are spread over an assessment
of ten years, making the assessments
payable in ten equal installments, the
first not due until November, 1912 and
the last in November, 1921. Thus if "a
mans forty is assessed the highest, to-
wit: 1892 90, he will have nothing to
pay until November, 1912. when he will
have to pay $500, and the same
amount each year thereafter for ten
years, and the amount, if not paid, will
go into the tax roll of each of those
years.
The law however, provides that when
such assessment is made the total
amount shall be filed in the Office of the
register of deeds so that the record will
show that the laud is in the district and
so assessed. Upon such filing it makes
the amounts lien on the land. All it
amounts to is that this is notice that
between the years 1912 to 1921 the taxes
lhvied against the land will include
these drainage taxes and therefore will
be that much more than the ordinary
taxes. Any owner of land who con-
veys, however, should expect from his
warranty those drainage taxes unless
he makes it part of his contract with
the purchaser tina. ne, the seller, will
pay those drainage taxes. In this re-
spect, and in this only, it differs from
any other tax or special assessment.
You have suggested that some person
who expected to mortgage his premises
finds this large assessment against his
land, which impairs his ability to mort
gage. When the matter is understood
this should make no difference what
ever. 1t simply shows to the MORTGAGE
that the taxes from 1912 TO 1921 will be
higher than ordinarily because they
will contain the drainage assessment,
but before these taxes commence the
land will have been drained and there
fore, if the courts finding is correct,
will have been increased in value
several times the amount of the total of
all of those t. IS. The order provided
tnat the assessment might be paid at
once in cash and pursuant to the order
publication to that effect was made in
newspaper as required by law, but not
many took advantage of this privilege.
The time of course, was required to be
made very short because in order to
issue bonds it was necessary to know at
once who was going TO pay in cash and
what the balance spread over the future
payments would be-"
Yours truly,
(Signed) c. B. BIRD"