Milford chronicle., 1916-01-28
ASSESSMENT REFORM IS
NEEDED In KENT COUNTY

! Walter o. Hofecker of Smyrna ant
John c. Hopkins and Henry l. Beers
Jr., Of Dover, appointed by Residen
Judge William II. Boyce to audit the
books and accounts of the County Comp
troller. Harry B. Grieves. completed
their work last Friday afternoon anC
submitted their report to Judge Boyce
on Saturday In their report they say
"Your committee. wholly in the in
terest of the taxpayers of Kent County
and the best administration Of our county
affairs, direct attention to our count y
assessments. There are several instan-
ces, and in more than one district in the
county, too, where valuable farms and
other real estate. to say nothing of val
liable personal property, have been left
off or not assessed. In other instances,
property that had been removed or de-
| stroyed two or more years ago. was
continued on the assessment list, clearly
showing in such instances a copying of the
old assessment list, without an exami-
nation of the property by the assessor.
The question Of assessed valuation is
another source of great injustice to the
taxpayers of the county. Farms of like
productive, as well as market value, are
assessed for nearly or quite double the
amount in some districts of the county
as compared with the assessed valuation |
in other districts. This is equivalent to |
having two rates, high rate for some |
sections of the county and low rate for
others. With a uniform tax rate, unless
there is a corresponding uniform basis of
assessed valuation of property through
out Kent County. the burden of taxation
will surely rest very unevenly on the
shoulders Of the property owners.
1t costs the taxpayers of Kent
County, including the commissions paid
to assessors and the sum paid the Boards
Of Revision for making the last very
assessment, 81, ,923. "a.
We submit whether the system that
produces such unsatisfactory results is
not in dire need of reformation, and
suggest that the Kent County members
If the next General Assembly give very
'arefu and thoughtful attention to this
subject, to the end that a very much
better system Of levying and collecting
axes than that now in vogue may result.
In cOmmendation of the efficiency /
md painstaking care of the present in
umbent of the comptroller's Office. we
all attention to the fact that the year
9l2 closed with the overdraft amount
ng to 1874 43; 1913 an oyerdrft of l
Q. O49. 65 1914, overdraft of 50. .359. %,
'hile 1915 closes with a surplus Of S27. I
1866. I
This greatly changed condition has Il
cen brought about by persistent urg-
lg Of prompt settlement on the part of q
he collectors. with the result that there I.
only one collector in the county owing u
nything on the 1914 duplicate Another II
cause TO this most crafty o.
g changed condition is the great re- n
action in the error and delinquent lists "
J allowed the collector. In the past 81
lese errors and delinquent lists as al
wed would total from S40O to $500 per q
strict In one district in the county NJ
e error and delinquent list allowed the 81
Hector in 1915 win not amount to $50, to
early demonstrating, in our opinion, IS
at the taxes can be collected with the m
ght man in the Office of collector. su