Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-01-07
DIVISION Will
BRING CHANGES
Creation q New slope County At
fects. Billings District in No
Small Measure. ,

Dickinson, N. d.. Jan. 5.-COunty
division in Billings will make many
changes during the first six months
of the year. Slope, the territory south
segregated from Billings will be ready
to start out on county affairs this
week. Gov. l.. B. Hanna has named
the board of commissioners and the
three men so appointed are to select
the temporary county seat and appoint
a set Of officers to serve until the
next general election. After this is
done, the records in the register of
deeds office at Medora will have to
be transcribed and II the Jan. LIST
statement of Billings is TAX
.Slove and Billings meet six months
later and determine upon a settlement
of. the property which will include
county buildings, permanent record
funds on hand and all indebt-
edness. Bridges and road improve
ments are not taken into account in
settlement between counties.
Valuation Reduced.
The assessed valuation of old Bill
lings is $4,109,O00. With division ef-
fected the valuation of Billings is re-
duced to 81, ZOO, 900. Thus it will be
that Slope has the greater valu.
atiOn-$2,3 800, 900. .
The settlement between the two
counties will be figured on a basis of
Hence if the county build
ings at Medora should be found to be
worth $4,000 and the floating indebt-
edness OF, Billing 100000, Slope would
have. to pay money to the parent
county. $780,.
These figures are only approximately
correct, but from the floating indebt-
edness can be deducted tax sale re-
and other cash on hand which
will bring the floating debt down to.
possibly $4,000. Billings county has
bonded indebtedness other than
the seed grain obligation and that is
supposed to be paid back by the seed
grain borrowers. 1t is known, how.
ever, that there will be a deficit in
this fnud of perhaps $4,000 to $1,000
and Slope will have to stand its pro-
of this Indebtedness when it
is finally determined. Hence it would
not he surprising if the accounts of
the old and new counties about bal
.nced. Slope might have to pay Bill
lings a few thousand. -: i
#r~ Means Lower Salaries.
Division will hurt the salary ac-
counts of officers in Billings unless
the new assessment in 1915 Should
bring the valuation up to the two mill
lion mark. i, With the valuation below
two million, the auditors salary will
drop $500, for from $1,7O0 to S1,400
per year, and register of deeds from
5 1 1000 to $1,000. It is also probable
that the number of deputies about
the court house will be reduced.
However the salary change is not
effective for a year, and the 1913, as
SCISSORS may discover a lot OF, new
property. Much land has gone to
patent will be added to the assess
.ent rolls this year.
The segregation of the south terri
tory makes it necessary to redistrict
Billings into new commissioner dis
tricts and also to fill commissioner
appointments for the second and third
districts, also assessors and a. super
of schools. The appointing
board will be the county auditor, Ira
J. Wilson, the incoming Judge, V. p.
and the holdover commits
from the old first district, Aus
tin Mead. I'D
Talk Of Restricting. |
, The question of redistricting is al
ready creating considerable discus
sion. Those living along the Little
Missouri river, in the Bad Lands ter
are largely of the opinion that
this should comprise n district and
be represented by a stockman. II
this division was made, there would
be two districts In the section east OF
the river, one north of the Northern
Pacific line ard one south. Another
set of people believe that the county
be divided east and west, CIV
ing a north, middle and south dis
trict. Commissioner Mead is now in
District 1, the north territory, p. D..
Peck has been sering on the board
bv appointment for the old middle
district, while w. H. Hanson still has
two years of %unexpired term for the
old third, or south district. However,
segregation leaves him entirely out
of the present Billings territory. D:
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