The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-08-03
HIGHER TAXES
FOR HAMMOND
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).

Especial to Lake County Tines).
Indianapolis, Aug. 3-The state
board of tax commissioners has held
it's last session, which adjourned today,
and its final ultimatum raises the taxes
throughout the state on an average of
10 per cent over those of years ago.
In few instances the commission
raised the assessment 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 27.45 per acre, which
was the average basis on which i'm
proved and unimproved property was
assessed four years ago, to s30.65. an
increase of over IL per cent.
For another four years the assess
ment as agreed upon today will stand:
The assessment returnS by the
boards of review of fifty-four coun-
ties were not changed by the state
board In this list are LaPorte county,
whose assessment this year averaged
S27.67 an acre. as compared with $27.24.
four years ago; st. Joseph county,
whose assessment this year averaged
$29,52, as compared with $2715 four
years ago; Wayne county, $500 as
compared with $36.10 four years ago.
and Vigo county $37.13 as compared
with S3O.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 twen-
ty-f 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 assessment
was raised five per cent. over the as
sessment submitted, making the aver
age { outside of the cities and towns,
OF course $93.57. as compared with
i $31.4S four years ago; Lake, whose as
sessment was raised ten per cent. MAX
ing the average S3065 as compared
with $27.45 four years ago; and Hunt
ington, whose assessment was raised
five per cent, making the average $S2.-
As per acre as compared with S3102
four years ago.
Outside of Marion county with ar
average value of $69.1S, Benton county
has the highest, s5497 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
S4.9S per acre; next comes Perry coun-
ty $500; next, Brown county, s6.o6
and next, Orange county, $9.OS. All OF
the other lightweight counties were
assessed more than $40 an acre.
Hammond Realty Suffers Raise.
The assessment of lots and improve
ments at Hammond was increased ter
per cent. at Huntington, was de
creased ten per cent; a Michigan City
South Bend. Fort Wayne. Richmond
and Terre Haute, the ass essments OF
the lots and improvements were left a!
they were returned by the count.
boards of the several counties.
In case no changes were made il
any county. either on the lands and lot
outside of the cities and towns, or oil
the lots and improvements within tn
cities and towns, the county audito
/ will have to make no changes in TIL
duplicate already prepared: each ta'
payer will pay on the basis that tn
county officials fixed upon.
In case the state board made a hori
zontal increase of a certain per cent
however, the county auditor will hav
to add that per cent to the assessmen
of every tax payer. And in case of
decrease, he will have to decrease eac
tax payers assessment by that pc
cent. This will necessitate the making
of new abstract sheets.
Most interesting of the individual ap
peals decided by the board at this tn
closing session. was thaat In tn
case of the assessor of Vanderbur
. county against the Standard Oil com
pany. This company had been as
sessed $4,000, and County Assesso
Charles E. Clarke contended before tn
board that its assessment should b
l raised TO about $4,000. The boar
q took cognizance of his appeal and in
5 creased this assessment to S9s.492 6.
2 The largest increase was in the valu
alton of the Eureka Investment con-
pany, this city. which was increase
from S940 to the tune of 100000.
TEAuEc NzJ uACGrYox-