The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1920-09-10
paid Advertisement
TAXATION IN OkANOGAN COUNTY.

a great deal of comment and criticism
is in CIRCULATION with regard to the. as
sessed valuation of the irrigated lands
and orchards on account of the increase
value over 1919. Those who are respon-
sible for these stories l dare say know
nothing about the laws governing tax
alton and especially the later ones. and
very little of the financial condition of
the schools.
During 1917-lS the wages of the elabor-
ing class started to climb wh!;o that OF
the clerical and professional men re-
manned the same. This had tendency
TO cause many school teachers to drop
that work and take up other work that
would pay more. In this state theree were
over one thousand teachers snort and
something like three hundred schools had
to close on account of no teachers Ut no
funds to pay them with-the school d.
reetors We're willing to meet the higher
assessed value of their school district was
so low that the ten mills allowed by law
would not raise enough money Many of
the schools called for state assistance and
the result was that the 1919 legislature
passed a law that all property must be
assessed at 80 per cent of its actual value
They also passed the Dog Law and have
done my best to meet both fairly for the
purpose for which they were passed
The raise in value does not raise your
taxes for the next year. only the part for
local school purposes, and this means only
| few cents on each individual. The levy
used last year is not set by law. but is
limited to certai in amount on each fund;
that is, local school, ten mills general
school five mills, roads and bridges i
mills, Indebtedness mills, current eX-
penses eight mills. bond indebtedness for
each school district ten mills, and each
school district can vote extra levy of
ten mills. The rate of levy is governed by
the amount of the estimate or budget
made by the county commissioners, school
directors, city councils and state officers
/ in September. and certified to the county
1auditor and school superintendent lex
1 'ept the state estimate which is certified
to the assessor); The estimates ase then
passed on by the county commissioners
in October and given to the assessor 10
/ figure the rates or levies on, so that he
an extend the taxes against each piece
/ II property. If the estimate Is so high
| that it will take more mills than the law
will allow as shown above, the assessor
| must cut the rate down to that limit
For example-in 1919 one of the commits
| sioners estimate for road purposes called
| for $21 900. the value of his district, was
| 81. 4O6, 126, II would have taken II mills
and that is what the assessor used. If he
| calls for the same amount this year and
| the value has doubled it will only take
ID IL mills to raise the required amount
II Is the same way with all other funds
| the same as the road funds The amount
| OF the taxes are not determined until
after the estimated amount to be raised
is passed on by the commissioners. Each
tax payer should make it point to see
that the amount of the estimate asked
| for by the heads of the taxing districts
do not exceed the amount that will be
Ilegitimately spent for the coming year.
| You can readily see that l nor any
other assessor has very little 10 10 with
| the amount of taxes that will be paid by
each individual-our work is laid out to
us by law and We must follow it,
The 80 per cent. law mentioned above
made 1t necessary to revalue the whole
COUNT and put all property on a more
equal basis 1t was found in going over
the sale values of the different kinds Of
orchards nj
about 10 per cent, dry land farms at %
per cent. and grazing lands at 80 and 60
per cent The schedule made this spring
placed the property. at nearer 30 per cent
than ii ever was before on the first nf
March, but the climatic conditions ano
water shortage caused values to decline