Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1912-10-18
COUNTY ASSESSOR.
Further Discussion of the New
Assessing Official:
XXXVIII-OBJECTIONS TO THE
COUNTY ASSESSOR BILL.

There are several objections urged
against the county assessor bill
which deserve careful consideration.
One is that the town assessor being
a resident of the town is, presumably
familiar with the taxable property
therein and therefore could assess it
better than nonresident. This OBJ
lection, however. is. overcome by the
fact that the proposed county assessor
is required by law to devote all of his
time the year round to the duties of
his office, and to acquiring the same
information not only in that town but
in all the towns of the county. This
will enable him, by comparing one
town with the Others, to make the
county assessment more even and uni
form SO that in short time he would
become more familiar with the pro-
perty in each town than the local as.
SCISSOR could possibly be. Giving to
this objection all the force claimed
for it, the fact remains that the coun-
ty assessor will be much better
equipped for the valuation of the
PROPERTY in each town than the local
assessor can be, while the influences
and conditions which inevitably en-
/ barrass the local assessor, warp his
|, judgment. and l=ad to favoritism and
E(pnfalfness cannot to any appreciable
Eexteht affect the county assessor.
} PMoyeover. the county assessor will be
under the supervision of the state tax
commission, a body having the power
to correct his errors and in case of
Wilful misfeasance to remove him
from Office with the consent of the
governor of the state and after fair
hearing. Such supervision will
strengthen him in the performance of
This duties, and he will be more in
dependent of local influences and in
"a better position to make fair and
uniform assessment.
Another objection to the proposed
bill is that, it interferes with the
principle of home rule in the town.
|fW hateVer merit there may be in this
collection loses its force by the fact
that under the proposed bill the town
| board of review will remain substant-
tally unchanged in it's powers and
duties. While in many cases these
boards of review have been of little
efficiency in the past they will still
remain with full authority to review
Fand correct the assessment for the
town as returned by the county asses
sor and protect the taxpayers of the
town from any unfair assessment, thus
preserving intact the home rule prin.
ciple. 1t is slso believed that the
existence of county assessor wIll
act as stimulant to these boarus tc
do their work with greater care anG
thoroughness. ,. ~ .:s-..
Anothec objection to the bill is
that it creates a new office and will
result in increased expense TO the
county. 1t is true that it creates some
Sc new offices, and also that il
abolishes some 230O of existing offices.
Whether it will result in increased
expense to the counties is problemati-
cal. In some counties it may do so,
| and in Others it may not. In any ever
the increase, if it results at all, viii
not be very large. If the town asses.
sors were being paid fair compensation
at the present time it is believed thai
the county assessor would not cost
any more than the local assessor.
would cost.
At all events the benefits which
would result from fairer and more
uniform assess.ne would far out.
weigh the increased cost thereof, il
such there should be-
In order that taxation may be fail
as between the individual taxpayer:
of the state it is essential that the
OSSO0oAACIto' VA OLCA1 pIOpcILy SuOuIl
be relatively equal. If the assessment;
are unfair, the taxes based upon suct
assessments are inevitably unequal.
You cannot erect a substantial anc
permanent superstructure upon &
wobbly'' foundation.
While it is not claimed that the
county assessorship system would il
all cases produce an absolutely per
feet assessment. it is believed thai
it would greatly tend to that desirabl.
result. 1t certainly is an artempt
to better present conditions. anC
while IN this state it may be some
thing Of an experiment. we must re-
msmber that all progress must in thu
beginning be experimental-that M
one can move forward if he doggedly
insists upon remaining immovahle.
L