Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1917-05-01
ONLY 1871 APPEALS
ON CITY ASSESSMENT
Time for Filing Objections
Before Board Expired
at Midnight
TOTAL FIGURES ARE
BEING COMPILED

The time for making appeals on the
city assessment TO the Board Of AS
sessment expired at midnight last
night and The total number OF APP
peals fled 1871, was the smallest in
the history of the city The board
sat during the entire month Of April
to hear appeals. The work Of COM
H'ling the total city assessment was
started today and will be completed IN
a short time. While no figures are
available at this time, it is expected
that there will be small increase in
accordance with the growth OF the
city over last year.
or the appeals heard, 80 were re-
fused and 80 granted.
AS there are nearly $4,000 heparate
parcels OF property in this city, the
number OF appeals filed was o-lO OF
one per cent This is the second year
OF the present Board of Assessment
and the fourth year of the revised as
sessment. That people Of the city are
well satisfied with the assessment I'M
der the new system is shown IN the
falling off in the number OF appeals.
On the first assessment made under
the new assessment plan there were
about 5000 appeals The second year
this number dropped to 1000. and on
the third year. which was the first year
under the present board. there were
about 400 appeals. This year the
number dropped as stated, to 1871
The changes which were made on
appeal were more in the nature Of an
adjustment than a change. for in most
cases the amounts involved were
small. A property owner would ap-
peal on the ground that his house was
assessed for more than that Of his
neighbor who had the same kind OF
house. or he would appeal on The
ground that he had formerly had a
shed or somc small structure on his
property which had been torn down
and was not therefore liable 10 as
sessment Where the complaints were
we'll founded these inequalities were
adjusted Some Of the appeals were
based on legal grounds. For instance.
several buildings recently erected by
the Pyrites Company, Limited in
South Wilmington, had to be exempt
ed from taxation. The law provides
that buildings erected on filled ground,
meaning filled marsh ground, are eN-
empt from taxation for ten years after
thew are erected The company show
ed that certain bu ldlngs were erected
on filled ground. and askd that they
be exempted. This was done because
the board, on investigation, found that
the ground upon which the buildings
were erected was filled marsh ground.
There were several increases IN
land values made this year, one being
on Eleventh street. where the land
value was raised after a number or
the most expert real estate men in
the city had testified that land was
worth considerably more than the
city assessment. Despite the large
number OF properties involved there
were not half a dozen appeals from
the assessment in this section, the
majority of the people believing thelr
land was worth the amount when
had been placed upon IT,
Some amusing incidents occurred
during the hearings of appeals. IN
some cases owners of property ap'
pealed on the ground that the land
was assessed too high, and asserted
that they did not believe that il would
bring the assessment which had been
placed. The owners were assured by
members of the board that II they
wanted to sell the properties they
would call a real estate man and sell
Il for them at the assessed value
v'hereupOn they concluded that the
properties must be worth the amount
assessed and did not press the appeal
In practically- every case. however
where a question Of this kind arose
the owner of property was satisfied
with the assessment if everyone in
the same locality was assessed IN
proportion. This is the law, and they
we're shown where everyone was as
sessed in proportion and were salts
fed.
Another feature brought out was
the fact that the very great majority
OF property owners are absolutely
frank i'm stating what a property cost
them. how much they have spen, ii
improving it and whether they would
be willing to sell it for the amount
which they declared to be its value.