The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-06-19
BELIEVES CITY WOULD GAIN
Holds That the City Can Make Money
by Collecting in Manner Adopted by
Public Utility Corporations Finance
Committee to Propose Plan to Council

City Treasurer Martin Steinlnetz at
a meeting of the finance committee
of the common council, held at the city
hall on Thursday afternoon, asked the
committee to take up a plan to provide
a new method for the collection Of
taxes in the city. The method sug-
gested is known as the milwaukee
Method and the treasurer feels GER
tain that the adoption of it will do
much to do away with the confusion
that has followed the collection Of
taxes in other years and at the same
time secure for the city the payment
of a greater proportion of the amount
of the tax levied.
The plan is similar to the collection
plan used by the water company, the
Kenosha Home Telephone Company
and the Wisconsin Gas and Electric
Company. It provides for the use of
a coupon receipt. IF the new plan is
adopted just as soon as possible the
city treasurer will make out bill
showing just how much tax is to be
paid by every property owner or in
come or personal tax payer in the city.
These bills will be made out in full
legal style showing the description Of
the property and its valuation. These
bills will be delivered to every tax
payer by the treasurer or his deputy
and they will show the tax payer just
when they must be paid. When the
bill is returned to the Office of the city
treasurer it will be marked paid and
similar mark will be placed against
the coupon in the permanent receipt
record. In this way the work Of the
treasurer during collection period will
be greatly reduced and it will be pos
sible to handle the collection of taxes
with ease. Under the present system
of preparingsa tax receipt at the time
the tax is paid so much time is con-
sumed that often people are kept
waiting for hours to be permitted to
settle with the treasurer.
The city treasurer is strong sup
porter of the proposed plan. He holds
that it will not only greatly reduce the
trouble of collecting the taxes but
that more of the taxes assessed will
be paid. Many people do not know
that there are small amounts assessed
against them as personal and income
taxes and there is no provision under
the present system for notifying these
people until after the amounts as
sessed against them have been return
ed as delinquent. Milwaukee has
used the plan suggested by the treas
urer for number of years with great
success and it is now being adopted
in many of the larger cities of the
state. The members Of the finance
committee will take the matter up at
another meeting and it is possible that
a favorable recommendation for the
adoption Of the plan will be sent to
the council.
The work of making the annual val
uation of the property of the city is
proceeding slowly and it is not prob
able that the valuation will be com
pleted before the first of August. The
law limits the work of the assessors to
the first Monday in August. An eff
fort will be made to have the tax roll
ready in the time set by the law this
year. A year ago the work was great
" delayed and there was a lot Of trou-
bic for both the city and county Of
fcials as a result. The assessors are
completing the work in the third ward
at the present time and with this ward
out of the way it is thought that the
remainder of the city will be complet-
ed in short order.