The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-10-07
new TERRITORY TO PAY TAXES
Personal Assessment for the Year
Shows Little Change Either In
Amount or Makeup of Items-WilI
Increase Taxes by $4,000.

The assessed valuation of the taxa
BILE property in .Kenosha for the year
1915 exceeds the valuation in 1914 by
$2,275,924. This is shown by the re-
port of City Clerk Harrington, which
was forwarded to the secretary of
state this morning. The report shows
that the total assessed valuation of the
property for the year is $32,330,00S as
compared with $30,054,0S4 in the form
er year. The increase in valuation is
considerably larger than had been ex-
pected. Assessor. John w. Stevens
completed the work of adding up the
long columns of figures late Tues
day afternoon.
The increase is nearly entirely in the
column devoted to real estate and i'm
provements. This totals $22,913,785.
The value of property in the territory
recently annexed to the city is little
over the two million dollar mark and
this representnts the increase in the
total valuation. This increase on a
fifteen mill tax levy will mean an in
crease in the tax levy amounting to
more than $4,000. 1t is probable that
the people residing out in the terri
tory now being taxed for the first time
will insist that a considerable Of this
increase in the tax levy be spent in i'm
provements for that portion of the city.
In the report of the annual assess
ment the lands in the city are valued
at $9,704,S24 and the improvements at
$13,208,961. The personal property
is valued at $S,SS7 ,54s. The additional
entry in the valuation is that Of bank
stock which is placed at $528,675.
The increase in the valuation is CON
siderably larger than has been report
ed in former years and it can be said
that it is a matter of extreme inter
est to the members of the finance com
mittee Of the council. This committee
will meet early in December to make
the annual levy and the amount of the
levy is always more or less governed
by the amount of the valuation. 1t is
possible that with an increase of two
and quarter millions on the valua-
ton it will be possible to provide for
the budget for next year without rails
ing the taxes above the fifteen mill
levy Of last year.
There is of course the usual lot of
interesting things connected with the
personal property valuation. Assess
ments of the big manufacturing COM
panies of the city show little change
from the amount assessed against them
as personal property" last year. The
personal list shows that there are 658
horses in the city valued at a total
of $63,025; the value Of the 16 neat
cattle is placed at $4,000; there are
no sheep, swine or taxable franchises
in the city; 638 wagons, carriages and
sleighs are valued at $30,340; the value
of the merchant s stocks in the city is
placed at $783,513 and that of the man
ufacturer IS stocks at $685. $50.
Leaf tobacco is valued at $1,325, seven
steam vessels in the city are valued at
$21, 800. The number of automobiles
is shown to be increasing very rapid
ly. There were 462 of them found by
the assessor and the value placed on
them is $215,335, or just about $4,000
for each Of them. This is accounted
for by the fact that the large proper
tion of motor cars used in Kenosha
are s'f1ivvers." Thirty-one other mo-
tor vehicles are assessed at 1925. All
other personal property not exempt
from taxation is put in at $239, POS.
As in other years there is no taxa
ton of mortgages or stocks of corpora
lions. One of the big items formerly
found in the personal list, the assess
mem of the Wisconsin Gas and Elec-
trio Company, is withdrawn this year
as this assessment is now made through
| the medium of the Wisconsin state tax
commission. The city will receive a
| little over $4,000 as taxes from this
company. Tt win be collected by the
state and sent to the city probably
some time in November or December.