The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-06-20
WOULD USE LAST YEARS ROLL
City Council May Decide to Employ Elk
perts Co Aid Assessors to Make Com
pletion of Work Possible in Time to
Use Valuation in Making Tax Levy.

The assessors Of the city are up
against it and they have appealed to
the finance committee of the city coun
ell to find some way to get them out
of their difficulties.
In the latter part of March the city
council ordered new valuation of all
the property of the city and with a
view of getting the work completed put
the assessors to work two months be-
fore the usual time Of their going on
the pay roll. Even with the added
two months the assessors are rot going
to be able to finish the valuation OF the
property Of the city in the time set by
law The work has gone SO slowly that
with half the time gone but one ward
is completed and on Thursday the as
SCISSORS declared that it was physical
impossibility for them to make an ex-
animation of the property In all the
other wards of the city in time to have
report fled with the city clerk by
the first Of August.
| The work Of the assessors as far as
lit has gone has been decidedly salts
factory, but it will be impossible for
the council to put the proposed new
valuation into effect unless it is posi-
| BILE to make the new valuation in all
districts of the city. 1t is possible
| that the council will find way out of
| the difficulties by hiring more men for
the assessors and permitting them to
divide their efforts and put one as
SCISSOR at the head of gang of men
not officially named by the people to
make the assessments. This it is
| thought would be entirely in keeping
| with the law. The council has already
arranged to employ clerical help for
the assessors and much of the routine
| work is being done for them in order
that they may give their entire time
or at least the greatest part of it to
the field work.
| The assessors have suggested that if
it is impossible to enlarge the force for
the field work that the city order the
clerks now employed to write up the
| tax roll using the same valuations as
were placed on the property year ago
with a view of putting the new assess
ment into use just as soon as it can be
completed. This plan has many draw
backs. The members of the finance
committee realize that the former as
sessment of the property was far from
an adequate assessment and that q tax
levy based ON it would not bring suf-
| ficient revenue to meet the demands Of
the city without large increase in
the mill tax. In addition to this they
see the fact that the former assessment
was unfair to many property owners.
The matter is to be laid before the
council at the meeting on Monday even
ing and it is expected that the coun-
ell will refuse to back up on the new
valuation and will instruct the asses
sors if necessary to divide and get more
help in order to complete the new val
uation by the first of August. The city
might be able to make a lot Of money
by bringing in two or three experts to
work with the assessors during the clos
ing months of the assessment period. RI
IS thought that men could be secured
from the state tax commission at very
reasonable salaries.
The board Of review will meet for
organization on the last Monday in
June and it is certain that the real
estate assessments under any plan will
not be ready by that time.