Americus times-recorder., 1920-05-31
COUNTY TAXABLE
VALUES ORDERED
RAISED A THIRD
Equalizers Told to Bring
Land Returns to
$16.1O Average

The Board of County Commission
ers met in special session at the court
house at 9 o'clock Monday morning
to consider the matter of instructions
to be given the Board of County Tax
EQualizers, who organized for their
work following the meeting OF the
commissioners. Present at the meet
ing of the commissioners, were Neil
A. Ray, chairman; J. K. Poole, j. j.
Wilson, K. S. Oliver, }. j. Wilson, D.
E. Statham and H. ID. Watts, clerk OF
the board. A representative OF the
Times-Recorder who came INTO the
meeting, was asked to retire while
the commissioners discussed the bus
mess of the meeting in executive ses-
sion.
Waiting for the commissioners to
reach a decision were the members
of the Board of Equalzers, Messrs.
f. A. Wilson, j. H. Myers and George
d. Wheatley, these gentlement later
being invited to join with the com
missloners in the discussion OF the
needs of the county and the means to
be adopted for raising revenue re-
ouired TO defray expenses OF the
county government. AT the concIu-
sion of the conference between the
members of the two boards, 1t was
announced that general increase III
taxable valuation of SO l-3 per cent
had been agreed upon as necessary
to provide needed revenue, ana VhaC
the tax equalizers had been instruct
ed by the commissioners TO insist
upon uniform increase IN tax returns
equal to such amount.
Boards Instructions.
The instructions of the equallzers
.,uere embodied in the following reso-
hution: .4 4Lo
"That in view of the fact that the
county Of Sumter is compelled 10 pay
material advances in the cost OF mann
tanning the current interests OIL 'he
county. and that the expenses o4
,,,aintenance have increased lar De.
vond the resources in the hanos o1
the commissioners, it has become an
;noneratiye necessity to increase the
vaiuation of taxable property uni
forniv throughout the county, 50 10
nov cent upon last years ValL3tloh'
ga that instructions issued from Ihe
Snord to the tax equalizers that care
f,1i ecrnnitv be made touching tne
LOO amount of invisible properly
vol13ns which heretofore seem TO nave
escaned taxation altogether
II developed in the meeting OIL Une
o,rona;se;oners and the members OF
the tax equalizing body tnaG o!aSt
Tox commissioners H. }. FullDflghl
has recently communicated win tne
authorities here insisting that Taxa
HE values here, as well as elseWneIe
+brouohout Georgia, be increased a'
TaaS+ 30 ner cent. The state tax com.
missioner. it was said, will use al o1
the authority of his office to see Vil"'
his renuest is complied with. wv,
George D. Wheatley and F. A; Wi
con following the meeting with the
commissioners, authorized p"oliO''Vi0l
of the following statement: , ofI
.ETbn members of the Board OF
CorntT Tax Commissioners realize
that ours is rather a thanklesS 'aIh,
and that in carrying INTO elee1 Vite
instructions of the county commls,
sioners we are to incur more OF le2S
odium. We feel, however thaI III
doing this we are only dong our uuUy,
which we have sworn to 90 IearIeo0IS
and without favortlsm. .l;ol,
"There are many things WhlGl
would Justify an increase IN CaAaple
values here at this time. Inc county
authorities now provide many tnlhgs
which contribute in no small Voluhle
w. the comfort and convenience OF
tbo community, as we'll as to the prog
ross of its residents. We nave an
abIe county farm demonstration
agant a county commissioner OF pup,
lie bealfh. a cattle Dipping officer, ana
otbar institutions which have peem
inanourated in recent years, ana ali
nf which have added to the expenses
of the county. Loo,
,;dicnionslv low during recent years,
aod l,ui0 an inTcease of 33 1-3 per cent,
o. ~ oskad for the Board of County
Sor,n,iesioners, is we'll justified. The
s7iohest priced farm land IN Sumtep
yon1n+v at this time is around Sl5O
~ acre with the lowest fair valua-
+inn G for land anywhere in the county
,1Ionod at around $15 an acre rms
pEu",,IJ make the average marker
,roI,,o of Sumter county farm land
o~nrovimateIv S77.50, as shown by
l.ioos appLeid Maid in recent farm land sales,
4,a+ +ba average taxable value OF this
Sen;e Seo s land as shown by examination OF
fSa fSfl'f tax digest in only $12,O8. Total
taxable values in Sumter county, as
Sbn1r~n bv the tax digest, are approx
Gr'o@I mateiv $9,OOO,OOO, which compares
with s1f 900, 900 taxable values in
the 'l citv of Albany alone, and not in
Guiding a single acre of land any
where else in Dougherty. county.
These figures show the ridiculously
H-N .-.l.;nL G11,n,tnr county "