Evening journal., 1920-02-18
NO Change in
TAXRATELIKELY
continued from First pagc.

Continued from First Page.
as yet TO disclose its figures OF the new
assessment These will be made public
on March IS. and April will be appeal
month" during which property owners
may protest valuations they consider
unreasonably high. According to. state
ments made at the assessment once In
the Public Building the general prihci-
pie in fixing valuations has been to
avoid assessing on excessive values at
which properties have been selling and
yet 10 increase assessments commen-
suraie with Tho natural increase Of
values in neighborhoods
For example a certaindwelling in a
row may hsvo been sold this year at
a far greater price than prices which
were paid for It's neighbors. To raise
the assessment on this one particular
property up to the new selling price
and yet leave those on either side Of
10 low, or 90 increase the ASSESSMENT
on. the entire row 10 match up with
the high price paid for the individual
house is not regarded az equitable.
Therefore. property 20 meet such sii-
uations. the tax assessors strike whist
may be termed a reasonable average
valuation for tho properties in The
row. thus projecting the owners from
an artificial rise from sales al fancy
prices duo 10 the present abnormal
conditions
While there win be increases IN
the assessments on very large per
oeniage Of properties throughout the
city, dhese increases on the whole. II
is explained. will not be what might
be termed radical or sharp, except in
the business section Of the city. Along
Market and King streets the rise in
assessments is likely TO mako some
folks jump. But so marked has been
the advance in selling values and so
great The demand for central business
properties thst the assessors feel fully
justified in making advances in keep
ing.
The exact figures for the central bust
ness section have not as yet been de-
termined, and will be among the last
TO be made by the assessment board
40 present the board Is completing its
work in the residential and in the semi |
business sections. 10 VIII do downtown
owners no good 10 apply 20 |
The onice for information as TO assess |
ments as they have not yet been liked. |
in connection with the assessment OF !
central realty the method of fixing
employed by the Board OF /
Assessment is decidedly different from |
that commonly used by real estate men
md agencies. When real estate men
'ay the price Of a certain property is !
80 much a from, foot, they include in !
he figure the entire depth Of the lot /
md the value OF the property. II their
be any, which IS on IT, The tax asses
,ors FIRST flx the value per front foot |
IN a depth OF only 100 feet They then !
assess the value OF any land behind the
100 feet depth. and finally assess. sep
arately. the value Of any property |
which may occupy the plot.
An example Of these differences In |
liking valuations may be seen In the |
Iuoted asking price OF $1,000 a foot |
or the First Presbyterian Church tract.
including The old church building.
;uch value means that me purchaser
would acquire the plot clear back TO
ling street and the old church building
g we'll The tax assessment board,
.owever, would FIRST ilX the front foot
alue OF the Presbyterian plot on Mar
et street, back TO 100 feet II would
hen assess the value of the frontage #,
n King street, also running back % ,
where the assessment on the Market /
treet front hats and finally would
ssess the value Of the building on the
lot This is purely an imaginary eX- ,
mple as church property. except when ,
sed for non-rellgious purposes, is nom
axable. The method applies, however,
n along Market street.
At present the highest assessed land !
n Market street is sli00 a foot front,
vherc1s tho selling prices per foot
ront have been double and treble that .
.gure. To properly figure the total as
essod value OF a property it is neces- 9
ary 10 add together the three different 4
sseSments as given According 10 the
SCISSORS the value thus obtained near
Y always approXimates the selling d,
rice per foot front as given by real Il
state men. s
For convenience tic assessing OF o
iarket street property down town is !
oughly divided into zones From
'ront street 10 Third 10 is figured dhere
las been very little increase in values. q
rom Third 70 Fifth street there has ?
'een some increase. Prom Fifth 10
,ighth there has been considerable rise. IA
nd from Eighth 10 Twelfth there has I
Ieen veritable jump. From Twelfth
0 tho BrandyNvine there has been only
mall increase. II should not be taken Z
hat these are IN any sense fixed dlvi-
ions, but merely apply in an approx 4
nate way C
with resard 70 corner properties the 1
SCISSORS first assess the value OF a lot
nd building according 30 It's frontage :
q the principal street Then an addi- 4
ion is made FOR any increased advan-