Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1915-01-15
May Create
County Assessor
Valley City Man Introduced Bill at
This Session Of the Legislature to
Create Office of County Assessor
Which Will Abolish District Asses.
.sors.

Bisarck. N. D.. Jan. ll.-Amons
:ahe bills introduced at the
.ession of the Legislature !. one by
c. F. Mudsett Of Valley City which
will create the Office of county assessor
and will abolish. the Offices Of district
.sssessor. township asses or. village
assessor and city asses or.
A similar bill was introduced BY Mr..
Mudsett two years ago. 1t passed the
senate but was killed in the house in
the last few hours Of the session. The
present bill is drawn 20 - 70 avoid the
objections raised two years ago.
This bill. Ia ease it becomes . law.
viii put North Dakota to the front
with other states. OF the forty-eisht
states in eae federal union. twenty
sight uss ths county assessor method.
only fifteen have the township and Ave
have = combination Of the two. In
b.ief Nj. Mudsett's bill contsmplates
ahat al the duties now psrfosmed BY
the various distriet. townshp. village
and city assessors shall be performed
by the new county assessor.
The bill further provides that she
county assessor shall devote himsef to
. study Of property values both real
and peronal within bis county and It
clothes him with the power to snbpos-
ma w;t.sssea % administer oatAs a.d
to require The production Of certified
copies of any part Of any public record
.oy docuneae within HE county which
may Be- aeeessary during the course Of
HE invsstisatioas.
One Of the best features Of this bin
as that il provides that the county as
SCISSOR shall be appointed by the state
Aax commission with the advice and
consent Of the county commissioner.
Il 10 further provided that If the coun-
ty commissioners fail to confirm any Of
abe 6rst tour nominees that the fifth
one shall serve without such con6rma-
tion.
The county assessor is required to
he a resident and freeholder in the
county in which he 10 appointed and
to devote all Of his TIME and attention
to the duties Of his Office. His term
will be for four years and he will be
subject to removal from Office by the
tax commission for misfeasance, NAL.
feasance or nonfeasance in Office; or
If at any time during his term he shall
cease to be resident of the county
In case the duties Of his Office do
not require his entire time the bill
provides that he shall work in the Of.
fee of the county auditor on the taz
records without extra compensation.
The salary of the county assessor i.
Sxed at sliding scale. ranging from
$1,000 year in counties having les.
than 5000 population, to $4,000 q
year in counties having a population
in excess Of 10000. He is also EN-.
powered by this bill to appoint one de.
putty assessor for every 1000 popula.
tion or major fraction thereof within
the county. The compensation of the
deputy assessors 10 fixed at 81 a day
for the actual time employed and the
county assessor is made responsible
under his bond for all their act.
The bill provides that the county as.
sessor before entering on his dutie,
shall give bond in the penal SUM oi
$4,000 and that he shall take the usua
oath Of Office provided by law.
Real estate and improvements are
to be revalued by the assessor in tn.
even numbered years. but any rea
estate which becomes liable to be as
sessed or reassessed or any which
shall have escaped taxation shall BE-
assessed also in the odd numbered
years.
Mr.. Mudsett believes that this bill
will remove the county assessor from
the pressure Of politics and will equal
ize the assessment Of property in tn.
various counties. 1t will not only ads
to the revenue Of the various taxing
districts. but il will also render tn.
work of tax collecting much easier.