The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1908-01-03
ESSEX COUNTY
TAX BOARDS
WORK
Annual Report Poor Sal
aries, Poor Men--B Board
Wants to Pick Assessors.

AAO SoC SOuiity DOdIu VI 1dAdtlDl,
which is made up Of Lathrop Ander-
son, president; Laurence T. Fell and c.
William Heilmann, has made public its
Annual report. The board makes a
number of recommendations and calls
attention to the variation of statutes
from the constitution, the later calling
for the taxation of all property, while
the laws provide exemptions.
1t is advised that better salaries be
paid to assessors in small municipali-
ties, and the suggestion is advanced
that the county board be given the
power to select the assessors either di-
rectly or from a list to be submitted.
Differences between assessments on
property of individuals and corpora
lions are also noted by the commits
sioners.
Following a precedent which we estab-
lished last year. although the law does
not compel it, the Essex County Board of
Taxation are pleased to make the follow
ing report. This will contain some of our
experiences for the year 1907 and a few
suggestions which may be of benefit in
the future.
''The commissioner have visited all of
the municipalities in the county, and have
endeavored to make themselves acquainted
with the situation and also the methods
employed by the assessors in each taxing
district.
THE adjusting of values In the county
cannot be accomplished in one or two
years. but the present conditions are an
Improvement over the past, and that we
are gradually getting nearer to an equal
basis is shown by the fact that the board
this year has received only 1,5W appeals
as compared with 6,00O last year.
This has enabled the commissioners to
devote more time to personal hearings and
also to maxi personal inspection of proper
ties in the county from which the petit
lions have been received.
'Of his number 600 have been dis
missed, and 800 have been granted, after
the commissioners ave either viewed the
properties In question or consulted will
the different municipalities in regard to
the dispute.
I'm three of the municipalities the board
has ordered the assessors to increase the
assessments In order to place them on an
equality with the adjoining properties.
1.-The total remissions amount to $975, 900.
and the increases ordered in the county
by the commissioners will amount to
$4,S $780, 900.
Some of the assessors appreciate tn,
fact that favoritisin must not be shown,
and they are pleased to have someone be-
sides themselves who will assume the re-
sponsibility of placing the true value on
their neighbours property.
IF all the property in the county could
be made to pay its fair portion Of the TAX,
the burden would then fall very lightly
p o each individual.
w were at first surprised to find in
some of the outlying districts much indif-
ference and lack of interest shown by
some of the assessors, put when We learned
the small amount of salary which some
of the officials receive. we could readily
appreciate that there was little incentive
for them to render better service. The
citizens generally do not realize that the
position of assessor is an important one.
but rather look upon him as a necessary
evil, and, therefore, hnany Of them arc
u~nderpaid.
Our taxes will probably never be adj
Justed so that everyone will be satisfied,
but a step in the right direction Will be
made when only competent men are IN
gagged to sill these positions and such sal
aries paid as will warrant the official III
spending sufficient time on the work to do
it intelligently.
"The system now employed of electing
or having them appointed as a
for work done in either political
party Is entirely wrong. We would sug-
gest that the county boards be given
power to select the assessors from a list
of names which will be furnished to them
by the governing body of each munich
pality; Oh a still better plan would be
to nave all the assessors appointed after
having passed a civil service examination.
In our county the assessors are either
elected by the people OF appointed by the
governing body OF the municipality. In
several instances We a found these
positions occupied by men who nave ac-
the situation under protest, and
only assumed the duties because
there wa no one else who would agree
to serve. In some of the country districts
the salary paid to the assessor is only S25
a year. No community should expect a
competent man to perform the work and
do 1t satisfactorily for SO small an amount.
"In one case last fall we returned the
duplicate to an ASSESSOR four times for
correction, and he finally said to our board;
You have made me spend more time on
this work than I can afford, and just at
n season when I am getting in my crops.
| did not want this job and now abso-
lutely refuse TO spend any more time on
this work, as | only receive $500 Il year.
The result was he handed in his resig-
and another man was selected In
his place at a salary of $50.
MANY of the assessors in the large
In our county have a general idea
Of the value of real estate, but we have
failed to find one who feels competent to
place the true value on the property of
public utility corporations.
about ten years ago the State Board of
published a pamphlet which was
sent to all the assessors in the State. This
gave the cost of water and gas pipes,
copper and iron wire. Also the cost per
pound of steel rails. but 1t said nothing of
The cost of constructing telegraph, tcle-
phone or trolley lines.
''The following Illustration has been used
but IL will apply again in this con-
A small property-owner who has
1 lot worth $1,000 and a 81, 600 house is as
sessed at $4,000, but a corporation who
builds a mile of trolley line in our streets.
Is, 900, because some official Of the COM
makes an affidavit that the latter
is the true value. This probably
S the actual cost of tracks, wire, poles and
sleepers, but nothing is added for cost of
construction.
early in the year our board requested
he County Engineer to give us his opinion
IS to the cost per mile for constructing
telegraph, telephone and trolley lines, and
a reply that he was not paid by
he county to furnish us such information.
The result is that the Individual real