The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-02-07
TAX ASSESSOR
ALLOWED FEES
COUNTY COURT FIXES coMPEN.
sATIoN PRESCRIBED IN THE
ASSESSMENT LAW.
LONG DEBATE ON THE QUESTION
County Finances Subject Of Some
Extended oratory From
The Justices.


, morning followed the recommends
tons of the County Attorney and the
, Committee appointed to consider the
, question, and allowed the county Tax
Assessor the compensation fixed by
the assessment law of 1907. An effort
was made to fix a definite salary of
$1,000 per annum, but the motion was
tabled. The order adopted by the
court provides that the assessor shall
receive the maximum salary allowed
by the assessment of real, personal
and poll taxes.
The discussion on the question of
the salary of the assessor took a
very wide range and the question OF
that official doing his duty, frauds in
the assessments, the valuation that
has or should be placed on the lands
of the county and other like questions
we're debated at much length. The
court spent some time in the discus
sion of claim for repairing a bridge
and the whole matter Of county finan-
ces was opened up and Judge Gordon
asked to explain some items in his
printed report.
Squire Hayes attempted to bring
the work house question before the
court again by stating that he had a
| party who would save the county $50
month if he was allowed control of
that institution However, The court
had enough of this subject at the last
session and the matter was declared
out of order.
Court was called to order at 10
o'clock by Judge Gordon. The roll
call by Clerk Thomas showed only
thirteen Justices present, two less
than the number required to consti-
tute a quorum The officers were
sent out for the absentees and three
were brought in. Esq. Lowell invoked
the divide blessings on the court.
Judge Gordon called attention to the
necessity for enforcing the cattle
quarantine law, saying that the gov
eminent had notified him that unless
the law was strictly enforced the
whole county would be placed below
the Federal quarantine line. Permis
sion would not be granted any one to
bring cattle from the infected counties
into this county. He had the court
TO ratify the employment Of Inspector
English at $50 per month to enforce
the quarantine law.
Squire Erwin did not think it neces-
sary for the Court to ratify the acts
of the Board of Health.
A motion was made to ratify the
action of the County Board. The mo-
tion prevailed.
The committee appointed at for
mer day to report on the salary to be l
allowed the County Tax Assessor, re- I
ported, recommending that the AS !
SCISSOR be allowed for his compensa- c
ton the maximum amount of fees
for assessors by chapter {
500 OF. the Acts Of 1907, the general /
assessment law. The report was a
signed by Squire Brooks, Lowell and t
Ricketts,. f
Judge Gordon was opposed to the I
'eport of the committee. T
Judge Erwin moved to adopt the re- Ii
,ort of the Committee. c
Judge GORDON again spoke in opposi- Il
ion to the rel ,ort, saying that it would G
the making of Illegal as o
easements.
Judge Erwin advocated the report, Il
aging that it was the best solution Of fl
he matter. lie said 1t would encour- v
ge the assessor to do his full duty. lt
lie did not think that the assessor Il
lould violate the law. The court b
ould, he said, prevent this by only a
aging the assessor fer the work ac-
lally done. oi
Squire Brooks said that If the as q,
essor would violate his oath, no mat
ar what the court did 1t would not CT
ct value received for his services. n
lie would llLe to allow the assessor m
/ 500 year but the law would not fe
How that. CO
Squire Hayes read the law and the pc
SCISSORS oath. He submitted figures Oh
lowing the cost OF assessments in &C
,O6 and 1907, the average salary be- te
g s1,146 per annum. lie said that al
lie assessment in Maury county were
70 low, that there were lands In this pc
,unty worth 500 an acre that were an
isessed at s25 an acre.
Squire Church did not want land an
,sessed at It's actual cash value, con.
nding that the assessment was al tn
ady high enough. But lie wanted