Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1915-03-24
Town Assessors Compenaatjon.

Hawick, (Rt. ~ Mimi, Mar. 10, 1915
Editor Willmar Tribune:
I have been informed that a certain
party accused me at the town caucus
Of overcharging the town for assess
ing last year. l will therefore call
your attention to the general laws of
1913 on the section pertaining to Town
Assessors Compensation which read:
''The following town officers shall be
entitled to compensation for each
days service necessarily rendered, as
follows, viz: Assessor, three dollars;
and mileage at the rate of five cents
per mile for each mile necessarily
travelled by him in going to and re-
turning from the county seat of the
county to attend any meeting of the
Assessors of the county which may
be legally called by the county aud
itor, and also for each mile necessar-
lily travelled by him in making his re-
turn Of assessment to the proper coun-
ty officer"
The instruction given us last year
| by the Minnesota Tax Commission
was as follows: Before entering up
on the discharge of the responsible
duties imposed upon you by law the
Tax Commission desires to remind
you of the Importance of your work
and to impress upon you the necessity
of a strict and faithful observance Of
all the provisions of the new CLASH
fed assessment law. 1t should be
clearly understood that the new law
must be strictly observed and enforc.
ed in every taxing district of the
state this year. Every description OF
real estate and every item of personal
property must be appraised with the
same care and consideration that q
prospective purchaser would give
them. Averages and guess-work must
give place to careful and conscien
tious valuation. Previous assess
ments should be entirely ignored. The
sole and only question to be deter
mined by you this year is the present
fair and full value of the property
When you have ascertained this fac
you should set down the true and full
value of the property in the assess
ment book and then extend the assess
, ment in accordance with the percen
tages laid down in the new law. Thu
law is the only basis that will be rec
ognized this year. Any other course
will probably result in a reassessmen
of the offending district. We agar
urge you to begin your work prompt
; ly on the first of May, as we feel tha
it will require practically all Of thu
time given you under the law for thu
making Of the assessment to thorough
ly and equitably value and asses!
property this year. If you have any
spare time let it be at the end of thu
assessment period. You are entitled
to $500 per day that you actually ant
necessarily devote to your work ant
no town and village board can com
pei you to accept less. The compen
satiOn of assessors of towns and will
ages organized under the general law:
is fixed by state law and is not sub
ject to local control. You are, there
fore entitled to full pay for every day
necessarily spent in making of thu
Assessment, regardless Of the pas
custom or practice in your district
, 1t is true that my bill for assassin,
the town last year was high, but tn,
common observer will have no trouble
, to see where the difficulty comes in
The reason is three-fold. There i
first the increase in the amount o