The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-08-05
REAL ESTATE VALUES ALL IN
Assessor Stevens to Give the Next
Month to the Assessment of Personal
Property and Big Increases in the
Amount Are Expected.

Kenosha is going to have a thirty
million dollar valuation on which to
make the tax levy for the coming year.
Assessor John Stevens has completed
| the work of valuing the real estate of
the city and while the final figures for
the different wards have not been add
ed up it is declared that there will be
no falling off this year in the amount
of the real estate valuation and it is
able increase III the amount of the
! personal property returned for taxa
tion in Kenosha. The early completion
| of the real estate assessments in the
city has shown the value Of the single
| assessor rule. Assessor Stevens has
made personal view of every piece
OF property in the city and has viewed
more property than was ever covered
by an assessor in former years and vet
| his work is completed several weeks
earlier than has been the rule in the
past. For the first time the large ter
ritory annexed year ago is listed on
the books Of the city and this property
will add several hundred thousand
dollars to the real estate valuations.
This will be about the only addition
to these valuations as the past year
was not an active one for the building
industries and little building took
place in the city. Several large fac
tory buildings were put up in the past
few weeks, but they were not built in
time to have them assessed for taxes
this year and their valuation will not
be added to the city tax roll until
the year 1915.
The assessor is now giving his en-
tire time to the assessment Of personal
property in the city and he is hopeful
that with full month In which to
make these assessments that his final
report will show large increase in
the amount Of personal property re
turned by the great Kenosha industries
and it is known that several Of the
factories will show a slight increase
over the former year While the in
ventories at the present time are much
larger than they have been in some
time, yet most Of this stock has been
taken on since the big revival Of bust.
ness which came late in the spring and
the big stocks were not on hand on the
first day Of May when under the law
the assessment is to be made.
AS in the past two years the asses
sor is giving special attention to get
ting the smaller personal property
owners list on the tax rolls. It is ex-
pected that more than six hundred
automobiles will be returned for taxa
tion in Kenosha this year. The lists
Of automobiles licensed by the state
have all been turned over to the as
SCISSOR this year and it will be decided
ly hard for any man owning an auto
mobile to get away without paying
taxes on it in Kenosha.
There will be need for an increased
valuation this year if the city is to
have the usual amount for running ex-
penses on the same levy as was made
last year. There is going to be a con-
siderable amount less received from
some Of the public service corporations.
The coming of the jitney bus has cut
a great hole in the receipts of the rail
way company and it is not expected
that the tax of this company for next
year will be more than half paid in the
former year. There will be a cores
ponding reduction in some other lines
so that an increased valuation will be
needed. Then the fixed charges to be
paid by the city during the coming
year will be greater than in former
years. More bonds have been issued
and payments on these bonds must be
made and interest coupons must be re-
tired. The amount to be paid on bonds
and for interest from the tax levy will
be close to $125,000. This increase
must be met by increased valuation if
the total amount Of the tax levy is to
remain at the same as it was last year.
Many people have called at the Office
Of the assessor to make an investiga
tion Of the valuations this year, but
there has not been any great number
of protests and most of the people seem
to be satisfied with the way in which
the assessments have been made. AS
SCISSOR Stevens has shown a willingness
to equalize assessment In all sections
Of the city and the people of Kenosha
have always shown willingness to
stand for fair assessments when all
property in the city is valued alike.