Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-08-04
COUNTY BOARD
HEARS PROTEST
ON CITY VALUES
No Decision Announced,
But No Relief Is In
dicated


ers met in regular session this morn
ing, and among other things consid-
cred the protest of a committee of
Amerlcus tax payers who appeared
before them relative to assessment
placed upon property located within
the city by the board of county as
SCISSORS. The committee presented
their case to the commissioners, and
were informed that the matter would
be taken up and considered later.
The committee then retired, and the
board began the consideration of
other matters. No decision had been
announced this afternoon at press
hour.
After the business before the COM
missioners had all been disposed of,
the board discussed the protest of
the city tax payers, representative
of The Times-Recorder being present
during this discussion. The matter
was not considered by the board as
such at this time, but the various
members present expressed them
selves thereon. Chairman Ray stat
ed that he desired to avoid friction
between the city and county authori-
ties, and the newspaper man was re-
quested to refrain from publishing
anything at this time concerning the
subject, it being explained that the
law covered the case wholly, and that
the board was without authority or
desire to change this in any manner.
Appeal for All.
r 9 Oliver ono mnn1 her of the
board, who was criticised at the citi-
zens meeting in the council cham
Der few days ago, as dominating the
board, took the position that the
board was without authority to go be-
hind the action of the county equaliz-
ers, and stated decidedly that every
tax payer not satisfied with the ac-
ton of the assessors has remedy un-
der the law in an appeal to a board
of arbitration. The county commits
sioners, Mr.. Oliver thought, should
take no action in the matter, and he
suggested that R. L. Maynard, the
county attorney, give the newspaper
man present a statement setting
forth the position of the board, and
the law governing the matter under
discussion.
This Attorney Maynard asked to
be excused from doing, and at his re-
quest the board went into executive
session excluding the reporter.
Before taking up the protest of the
! city taxpayers committee, it was
brought to the attention of the board
! that certain definite statements had
been made by the board previous to
! the bond election when bonds in the
sum of $500,000 were voted by the
voters Of the county for the purpose
/ of paving Sumter county's roads, the
statement being made that the Times
Recorder had printed an article to
/ the effect that the board Ead pledged
itself to build these roads from the
courthouse in the various directions
in which they were to penetrate.
Minutes Produced
This resulted in the minutes of the
commissioners being brought into the
meeting, and it was found on page
81 of these minutes that the members
of the board, being the present mem
bers of that body, had pledged them
1 selves to build these roads from the
city of Americas" in tie different di-
rections therein stated, and this was
further qualified by the statement
that the pledges were TO be followed
/ out insofar as practicable"
i After this had been ought out it
/ developed that the committee of pro-
testing citizens of Amerieus had
made no mention of these roads and
the matter was dropped without fur
ther expression thereon. 1t appeared
to be the concensus Of opinion, how
ever, that the roads should be built
from the city limits, as stated in tine
resolution adopted by the commission-
ers before the bond election, and so
written into the minutes, though
i Chairman Ray stated that he favored
building the roads right up to the
court house, saying Il want to rioe
right up to the court house or a paw
ed road, when l come to town"
i 1t was also brought up that the
commissioners some time ago made
the city council a proposition to de-
fray half of the expense of building
paved streets from the city limits to
the court house on certain highways
about to be paved, and it was said
that this in itself explained the po-
sition of the board, insofar as it re-
| IaCeS to the paving Oh the city S
streets. The proposition, it was furth-
er stated, had been rejected by the
city. Some of the members of the
board took the position regarding
this question that the law prohibited
the building of city streets with bond
money, but the law covering the eues-
tion was not brought out, and the
reporter was referred to G. W. Caye,
district highway engineer when he
inquired along that line.
Defer Other Matters
The committee decided among
themselves before going before the
commission that it would be unwise
! to mix other questions at this time
with the tax controversy, and there
| Continued on Last Page.)