The Kadoka press. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1923-current, 1924-03-07
Where DO Our
County Taxes Go?
AN ATTEMPT TO SHOW HOW
THE COUNTY TAX MONEY
IS DISTRIBUTED


formed that several men from the
west side of the county were CIR
culating petitions over the county
asking the county commissioners
TO cease all road work Tor two
years, to close up the county' gar
age and dismiss the hiway COM
missioner, to cut off al. deputy
help for the courthouse with the
exception Of an allowance Of 5000
for the auditor. We did not see
this petition and repeat the most
reliable reports we have been able
to obtain.
At Kadoka they obtained a few
signatures, but at Belviderc none.
Report has it that the canvassers
received so little encouragement
that they rcfrained from present
ing it to the commissioners now
in session. A personal call on the
commissioners reveals the truth
that there is no petition to this
effect before them. These gentle
men then and there extended
through the Press an invitation to
each and every tax payer to come
before them to see how his county
tax money is spent and it is hoped
that no few will avail themselves
of this opportunity to find out
first hand rather than accepting
hearsay as the gospel truth.
We have tried to secure compet-
ent authority on the county taxa
tion question and present the fol-
lowing for the careful study of
every one interested and then ask
them to draw their own conclu-
sions as to where the money has
yelx and what efforts have been
made to reduce taxation:
We have gathered from the files
at the courthouse the following
facts:
In 1922 the total valuation of
the county was $S,41l, $50. and in
1928 it was reduced toS,012,70200
reduction Of 9S,848.00. In 1922
the tax levy was $50 mills and in
1923 it was reduced to 1926 mills, a
reduction Of .04 mills in spite Of
the reduced valuation. This .0i
mill tax on The former valuation
would have yielded the county
$33, $4,000. The .04 mills ii added
to 1923 tax rate would have yield
ed $32,050,S08 1t is thus plainly
evident that the county has saved
its tax payers total Of either Of
these sums. The former ii based
on the 1922 vatuation and actually
the latter based on the reduced
valuation and the reduced rate.
Figuring even the 1922 taxes on
the rate of 1923 there is a saving
of Sl592.392.
To effect this saving 1--WE refer
any one to the minutes of the
commissioners when they made
up the levy end the records at the
courthouse) the following budget
was put UP Sept. s, 1923:
Special salary was left at So
mills.
Wolf bounty was cut OFF used TO
be.14.
Custer sanitarium stricken off.
Bridges were 100 mill cut to .25
mills.
Mothers pension was IL now i
mill.
Unorganized roads cut from 4
to ; mills.
County road left at 2 mill.
County general fund was 2.75
now 800 mills.
State levy left at 1.90 mills.
Total 9.Z6 mills.
Deduct from this the l.9O state
tax and there is left a county levy
Of 1856 mills.
We have taken five typical
quarters whose owners we do not
know Four of these are organ
lied and one Of them is unorgani-
zed. Their description, valuation
and taxes for the different pur-
poses are as follows:
Cottonwood Twp. SEA Sec. 2 Is IS,
valuationSl 800, State tax 1851
County Road tax $3.50, all other
County taxes Sl019. ToWnshin