Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-08-16
NO ARBITRATION
UNDER new ACT
ON CITY TAXES
Assessors Constitute Fl.
nal Court Of Appeal
Raise is Million

1t was announced today by the
city board of tax assessors that the
city charter of Americus had been
amended at the recent session of the
state legislature, abolishing arbitra-
ton for dissatisfied property owners
and making the board the final court
of appeal. This being the case, they
asked that this information be given
the public, so that all might be gov
erned accordingly. That the charter
had been so amended was confirmed
later by Representative Stephen Pace,
who introduced the bill. He said it
was passed and signed by the gov
ernor several days before adjourn
ment. He declared it was drawn
under the supervision of City Attor-
ney Lane and had the endorsement
of Mayor Sheppard and every MEM
ber of the city council. The meas
ure is the same one of which an
nouncement was made in these col
umns few weeks ago that its intro
duction was planned.
The city tax assessors today stated
that they had practically completed
their work, being finished with the
white list and half way through the
negro list. The increases in values
for the city, they stated, would be
less than expected at first, and
amount to approximately one million
dollars, bringing the total up to
close to $6,000,000. This is expect
ed at the present rate of levy to
supply the extra money needed for
school purposes this year, relieving
the threatening situation there.
Given Days To Appeal.
The new tax act provides that
property owners shall be notified and
given FIVE days in which to file no.
tice of appeal, if the findings OF the
board are not satisfactory. The
board shall then set a date for a
hearing, at which the property owner
may introduce evidence. The board
will then make a second ruling, which
will be final The text of the act,
following it's title, is:
"Be in enacted, That the Mayor
and City Council of Americus shall
have power and authority to appoint
three freeholders, residents of said
city, as a board of assessors of tax
returns, who shall make their report
at such time and in such manner as
the Mayor and City Council shall de-
termine, shall be governed by rules
made by the Mayor and City Council,
and whose duty it shall be to scrutl-
nize carefully each return of prop
erty, real and personal, made by ev-
cry taxpayer of said city, and
"D If said board should ascer-
tain that any person, firm or corpora
ton has failed to make return of his,
her or it's property for taxation, the
board shall make or cause to be made
return for each such defaulter, as
sessing the property 50 returned at
its true value, and shall give such de-
faulter written notice of such re-
turn and valuations; and said board,
may, in its discretion, summons such
defaulter to appear before 1t to be
examined; and any person falling to
obey such summons shall be punished
as provided by Section 19 of the
charter:
Shall Locate Property.
"(2) If said board should ascer-
tain that any person, firm or corpor-
alton has in his, her or its return
failed to set forth all of his, her or
it's property subject to taxation, said
board shall add to such return the
property so found to be omitted and
assess the same at it's true value, and
shall give the person, firm or corpor-
alton making such return written no
tice of such additions and valuations:
"(3) If said board shall, in its
judgment, find that the property, or
any portion thereof, embraced in the
return of any such tax-p ~
Continued on Last Page.)