The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-02-24
Equalizing the Tax Burden;
Five Million a Year
Chapter TX

houses are assessed and the stores
Any number of people have inquired
about the assessment of the First
National Bank building and the
ground 1t stands on. Nearly as many
people have inquired about the piece
Of property on the southeast corner
Of Bridge and Broadway. We have
kept promising people that we would
get to that after awhile and report
upon it. II we make good on all the
promises we have made people about
different pieces Of property that we
will report upon, the editor Of this
little sheet will be kept busy for quite
a while.
In order to get different pieces of
property reported together so that
comparisons may be made where
there will be value in the COMPARE
sons, we try to hunt up the same
class Of people or the same class of
property and the same class of bust
ness as nearly as we can and get q
report of them together. In this
chapter we are reporting on the real
estate constituting some of the best
buildings in town and it is little diff
ficult to report upon some pieces of
real estate without having merchan-
disc get in with it. Where we item
ize the particular property assessed,
you can make comparison on the
itemized lines, but be careful about
taking merely the totals for some
times the total covers the ground the
building stands on, the building it.
self and the merchandise within the
In this chapter the first
item relates to the ground the build
ing stands on or the full amount of
ground whether the building covers
1t all or not. The building usually
covers the full width at the street,
but not always reaching to the end
Of the property at the rear. In each
rase we try to get the dimensions of
The property by pacing it and whether
The PAGES are correct or not, they are
Ill about alike so that the COMPARE
son should be true in that respect.
Where Is the Town Center
Property in the center of town is
more valuable than 1t is at the sub
lrbs and we suppose the theory of
assessing is based on that fact. II
he assessor could decide just where
g the center of the business of the |
own, not necessarily the center of
he population, but the center of bust |
les and then graduate his assess
nents from that point towards the
suburbs that would probably be the
correct way to do the assessing. We
10 not expect everybody to agree
With us; this theory is not in accord
nee with Henry Georges "Single
Faxer" nor does it conform to what
he assessor is doing in this county.
There are objections to assessing
he ground according to the value of
he building erected upon it and if
he assessor has followed that plan
hen he has done it on reverse ratio
or some Of the best business houses
4 town rest on ground that is as
essed low.
The Business Center
A year and a half ago the editor
f The Republican made a survey or
stimate of the geographical loca-
ion of the business that is done in
he town, decided where the business
enter was, showed our chart to a
lrge number of business men, one
fter another, found it confirmed by
lost of them and we decided that the :,
usiness center Of Blackfoot was on
roadway, between Pacific and
ridge in the southeast corner of the
ccles building. After a lapse of
ear and half we have reviewed ,
lat chart again, analysed the whole ,
ling according to the original in
'rmation and according to our in
'rmation of today, and we still
aintain that the business center !
the town is in the southeast corner 7
the Eccles building. There was !
me when it was on Main street in
le southeast corner of the Brown
art building, where the Bingham
bstract office is. 1t gradually moved
estward, distance of one block,
aveling that block in the course of (
bout twenty years.
In the figures we are giving you in !
is chapter, the first item reads, /
Assessed valuation of property" and
at means the ground the building ]
ands on, including any ground there ]
ay be at the rear or side of the
Hiding; it includes the whole tract.
ne second item shows the assessed
'luation per square foot in the tract
I'd 1t will be noticed that the ground
lder the Eccles building is assessed
$11O per square foot; the First a
ational Bank building, $1.49; the
est and Boyle building, $1.18; and y
e Progress building in the center =
the block, just west of it $1.63. :
ross the street from the Eccles
Hiding is the Hopkins building
ade up of two buildings con- A
'ucted in one without any line of
stinction between them, yet it is
med by two different firms, the A
nth part being known as the Hop
rs building assessed at 1892 and M
southern part, the Henesh build r
at 1924 both being just across
street from the Eccles building. r
think that nobody would say the r
lick corner was the best corner i,
town for business yet the ground
ere is assessed at $2.13, the high
OF any in this comparison. The A
sndrod Bank building is $1.83 and
new Boyle building $1.16, prac-
ally one-half Of what is assessed A,
ainst the Millick ground just half
block away.