Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1913-11-26
ORDER REASSESSMENT
IN GRANT COUNTY TOWNS
Tax Commission Claims MilIville, Wood
man, Little Grant and Potosi
Were Assessed Too Low.

The state tax commission is still
upon the trail of several of the towns
in this county in which it is claimed
the assessors failed to assess at true
value of the property, as required by
law. The following letter was sent
to T. L. Cleary, of Platteville, super.
visor of assessments for this county,
and is published at his request to
show the status of the matter concern
ing the assessments in dispute
Madison, Wis, Nov. 10, 1913.
Thos. L. Cleary, Esq,
Assessor of Incomes,
~Platteville, Wisconsin.
Dear Sir referring to the appllca-
tion for reassessment of certain towns
in Grant County. we beg to report as
follows:
The remedy of resssessment has a
two.fold object. one to correct pro-
nounced inequalities in the current
roll and the other to improve assess
ment conditions. To secure these
objects applications are examined to
ascertain the extent of inequality in
the current roll and also with a view
to determine where an order for re-
assessment will do the most good.
Generally speaking, only a limited
number of assessments are made in
any given county OF district, and
applying this test to Grant County
hearings were not called in all the
districts in which applications were
made. Hearings were held, however,
as to the towns of Millville, Little
Grant, Potosi and Woodman, which
made the least favorable showing of
all towns in the county. Final action
on these applications was deferred be-
cause the persons best suited to make
the assessments have not been avail
able heretofore.
The evidence produced at the hear.
ing in each of these cases showed that
the law r. quiring all property to be
assessed at its full value was ignored.
The law to this effect is clear and
positive and prescribes a uniform
standard for all persons, places and
classes Of property. Departure from
that standard inevitably results in
confusion and inequality and accord
ingly increases the difficulty of ad-
justing valuations between individual
taxpayers. joint school districts and
in making county and state equaliza-
tions. Realizing this situation, the
tax commission has made an earnest
effort to have the law in this respect
observed and it's efforts have met with
encouraging response.
Milwaukee county, containing
nearly one-ffth of the property and
population of the state, was assessed
at SO per cent of its true value for the
current year, and Ashland County at
81 per cent. Practically all counties
of the state have made a substantial
advance within the last two years,
and in many of them the 1913 assess
ment was Increased more than so per
cent above that of 1919. Grant county
as a whole makes a favorable showing
in this respect. Twenty-eight of the
Al districts of the county have been
assessed at more than 90 per cent of
the true value for the year 1913, but
the towns of Little Grant, Melville,
Potosi and Woodman have fallen far
short of this standard. The evidence
at the hearing in each of these cases
amply justifes a reassessment and our
present disposition is to reasess SSsome
if not all of these districts. Other