The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-12
UTTER A PROTEST.
County Commissioners Ask Governor
to Veto Tax Bill.

| At a called meeting of the board of
county commissioners of Shawnee coun-
ty, Kan, held today. the provisions of
senate bill No. 42S were laid before the
| board by the county treasurer and
county clerk.
1t appears from the provisions of the
bill that the rebates heretofore allow
ed for the payment of taxes in full
have been eliminated: that the amounts
| to be collected at the December and
June payments have been changed from
one-haf at each to two-thirds and one
third respectively; that the penalties
! imposed for failure to pay in Decem-
Der and June remain the same as in
the present law. 1t has. been proven.
say the members of the board, that
| the enforcement of the amended pro-
the contrary will work a hardship to
| the county and the officers charged
with the enforcement of tax laws, and
| that there has been no demand from
any source for the enactment of such
amended laws.
The proposed law will require addi-
tional clerk hire in the treasurer's Of
flee and the office of the county clerk
enough allowed by it's provisions to
properly check the tax rolls after the
final payment period in order to pre-
pare the delinquent tax list for the
printer, as required by law. The pre-
paration of the delinquent list involves
work of such Importance that errors
due to such hurried work will cause
tax sales of doubtful validity and end
less litigation if the requirements of the
proposed law are insisted upon
The loss of the rebates to Shawnee
county are offset by the interest re-
ceived on deposits in the local deposit
tories, and the prompt payment of tax
les at the first payment period. The
delays during the rush of payment
periods will be so great that the tax
payers will blame the officers of the
rr-1fv ,cyf
their interests. but which cannot be
avoided when the treastrer and his
clerks are compelled to compute each
item by thirds thereby necessitating
pencil calculation whereas quick men
tai calculation was all required under
the old system That it will necessitate
the Encouragement of the tax rolls, al
ready in the hands of the printer. The
collection of two-thirds tax in Decem-
ber will not be nearly so remunerative
as under the first payments under the
present law, and viii therefore necessi-
tate the writing of< just as many re-
ceipts for the last third as would be
written for the first payment, conse--
quently the checking of the tax rolls
will be so delayed at just the time when
time is the most important factor that
unending grief will follow and tax sales
will be voided.
The following resolution was adopted
by the board of county commissioners
and has been forwarded to Governor
Stubbs with formal protest against
the bill becoming a law:
Therefore. be it resolved, by the
board of county commissioners of said
county and state; that we do here
by enter our solemn protest against
senate bill No. 42S becoming a law, and
that we hereby earnestly ask Governor
w. r. Stubbs to exercise his authority
as chief executive of this state by We
toing the proposed law, believing that
he will thus have prevented from be-
coming law a bill that is without rea-
sonabIe support from taxpayers or Of
ficers connected with it's enforcement. |
Resolved, further, that a copy of this
proceeding be presented to Governor
Stubbs by the county clerk at once