The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-05-22
Total valuation .s3s.s55.5s5 100

Total valuation .s36.S55.565 100
Every part of the county is assess
| ed for general road and bridge fund
accumulation, not dollar of that
| fund is expended in the corporate linn
| its Of any town or CITY,"
| North Yakima and the part of
| the county above Union Gap has paid
I 601a per cent of the bills for all ma
| chinery purchased (referring to road
building machinery and paid for out
of the general road and bridge fund,
but used in the several road districts
1.-THE taxpayer of the incorporated
towns is paying 3-5 of the entire cost
(road machinery and building) with
out receiving any value in return,
further than may come to hin1e in the
general advancement and improve
ment of the county, when taken as a
whole"
! EXTRACTS from letter Of Auditor
| Newcomb to the Grandview CONNER
cial club.)
The city of North Yakima alone
pays 26.5 per cent of the entire tax
in Yakima county for the current
year; this is nearly half Of the total
of 81 per cent paid by all property
except railroads outside of cities, and
more than three-quarters of the total
of "a per cent of the net paid by
towns; and property above Union Gap,
with $22,314,275 valuation, pays 6O.5
lper cent of the total tax, leaving only
1915 per cent to be paid by property
below the Gap, with $14,855,565 val
| Basing his figures on actual valua-
lions, rather than on the amount of
taxes paid, which varies in different
districts, Frank M. Spain, accountant
| in the office of the county auditor, has
furnished the above figures to the
Grandview Commercial club for con-
sideration at a meeting Tuesday night,
when a campaign for enlisting the
support of commercial organizations
| Throughout the valley for the bond
issue for good roads will be inaug-
urated.
| The figures were requested by J.
M. Hoagland, and f. IL. Norris, presi-
dent and member of the Grandview
club, after they had made an investi-
cation of the records Of the county
last fall.
| Support Record of Commissioners
| "The enclosed comparative assess
ments are based upon valuations,
rather than upon the amount of tax
assessed" says Auditor Newcomb in
his letter, 'for the reason that tax is
very largely a matter of local control,
and depends upon the rates levied for
drainage, road and school purposes,
and may vary greatly according to
local necessities, for general county
purposes.
"You will of course understand that
it is not the policy of this Office to
offer suggestions as to any use you
| may make of the enclosed comparative
statistics, nor is it desired to apollo
gize for, or speak In defense OF the
county commissioners, in the expendi-
ture of funds, either past or proposed
The purpose is, that you may have
an intelligent comprehension of the
relative cost to the different classes OF
taxpayers as well as the proper dis
/ tribution of that cost to the several
parts of the county
| sit is well to bear in mind one fact
! that seems to have been overlooked
by those people whose aim seems tc
/ be the unfair criticism of county of1ic-
ers, and that is, that while every part
of the county is assessed for general
road and bridge fund accumulation,