The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1923-06-21
KENOSHA IN
PROPERTY TAXES
Ratio Of Assessed to True
Value Lower Than in
Many Cities.
MADISON IS HIGHEST
Pay Higher Taxes Per Capita
Than Any City in State, Ac-
cording to Bulletin.

That Kenosha is an extra good"
place to live in has again been prov
en-. In Bulletin No. II, of the Wis
consin Tax Commissions Municipal
Statistics department, Kenosha is
shown as having lower ratio of as
sessed to true value of property than
a great many other cities in the state.
In fact, the figures show that there
are only about ten cities in the state
with lower tax rates based on local
and true value assessments.
The bulletin shows that for the year
1922, figures for which have just been
completely compiled. the assessed val
ue of all property in the city of Ke-
nosha amounted to $50, 444,640. The
two. cities to exceed Kenosha in
amount were Milwaukee and Racine
with valuations assed at S677, 0,755
and $40, $685. 49, respectively. The ra-
ito of assessed to true value OF the
property in Kenosha was 81.84 per
cent. This fact alone shows that in
comparison with many other cities OF
the state, Kenosha has much lower
ratio, and the general property taxes
per capita in this city is far down the
list, amounting to, according to the
commissions figures, $43.22.
Comparisons May be Odious, But
In making comparisons between in
dividual cities it is necessary to keep
in mind the fact that the local tax.
rates are not comparable for the rea-
son that the ratio of assessed to true
values differ with varying circum-
stances in the several cities. The
true value tax rates quoted in the
report are computed from the true
values as fixed by the local assessors
of incomes and hence form the only
available as we'll as proper basis for
comparison. All tax statistics were
confined in the 1922 report solely to
an analysis of the revenue produced
from general property taxes. Because
certain revenues such as income tax
es, terminal taxes, street railway tax
es and all other sources other than
general property taxes, have been ex-
cluded from the tabulations of the
commission, the figures do not repre-
sent the total receipts, from taxes nor
are they indicative of the total rev.
enues Of the respective cities.
In spite of all these restrictions and
limitations in making the comparisons,
Kenosha stands out from the list as
a city in which the taxpayers have
more to be thankful for than in
great many other smaller cities in
the state.
Madison Has High Rate.
The, city of Madison with per cap
tia property tax of $5765 registers
the highest rate in the state with the
exception of the town Of West Allis
whose per capita tax is $68.04. The
town of Manitowoc with a population
of 1868 in 1922 has gone way over
the top in the ratio of assessed to
true value of property, taxing its
property at 23.44 per cent above the
true value, as compared with Keno
shas ratio Of 1916 per cent under the
true value.
Kenosha contributed as its share of
the total general property taxes, ST.
749,784. The only cities in the state
that. contributed larger sum were
Milwaukee with $19,738,7 1877, Racine
with 2.288,459, and Madison with
$2,212,546. And when Kenosha con-
siders that the village of Buffalo City,
with a population of 286 souls has it's
property assessed at rate that is
IA per cent higher than that in Keno
sha, Kenoshans can sit back and glee-
fully and enthusiastically shout that
this isn't such bad place to live in
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