The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-05-14
Cundy Explains Procedure
in Assessing Farm Prop
erty in County.
LOOK FOR TRUE VALUE
BY ROBERT L. CUNDY.
Assessor of Incomes.

for their meeting at this point was
to study the assessments of the four
assessors, N. P. Wilkomm, town of
Paris; S. G. Sorenson, town of Som
ers; George Adamson, town of Pleas
ant Prairie; j. M. Castle, town of
Bristol. The following farms in that
neighborhood were studied and assess
ments compared. A direct comparison
was made Of the F. Lentz farm, town
Of Paris, 81 acres with an assessment
of So 800 on land, $1,000 in buildings.
This gave an assessment of fifty dol
lars per acre. E. P. Clapp farm, town
of Somers, 1872 acres, land. value
$11, ZOO, buildings $500. The assess
ment of this farm was made at
seventy-seven dollars per acre. Nels
Hoegstead farm, town of Bristol, AZ
acres, land value $500, buildings
So 400. Land assessment seventy-nine
dollars per acre c. and ]. Meyer
farm, town of Pleasant Prairie, 1914
acres, with a land value of $2,420,
land assessment seventy-six dollars
per acre. The assessments of the
year 1924 were used. No changes
could then be made. The comparisons
are very satisfactory for three towns,
but the town of Paris is not in keep
ing with the rest Other sections in
groups of four, as we'll as single sec
tions, will be compared later in the
month of May, or before the sitting
Of the board Of review, which meets
the last Monday in June of each year.
The sections of Brighton No. SO, Paris
% 4a1 NJ Ga1oY,, Mo
l, were studied in the afternoon.
Basis of Assessment.
The land was assessed as follows
Brighton, forty-one dollars per acre
Paris, fifty dollars per acre; Bristol,
forty-four dollars per acre, and Salem
forty-nine dollars per acre. These
values are very close considering the
land and it's location. The assess
ments for this land were very good.
The land values were finally work
ed out as follows:
Glass A Agricultural lands which
are now under cultivation, hay lands,
cleared lands which could be put un-
der cultivation and all lands used as
pasture. This value was placed at
$50 to 500 per acre. There are farms
located in the various towns that
have higher values and this is based
upon location and other qualities
which were taken into consideration.
Glass B--Marsh, cut-over or waste
This value was placed at $40 to $50
per acre.
Class Climber. This was placed
at $40 to $40 per acre.
Outlines Purposes.
The purposes of this meeting of the
town assessors are several. to get a
better understanding of land values,
to work out uniform system of as
sessment, to establish standard for
adjoining towns, uniformity for the
entire county, better understanding of
each others work, exchange of ideas
" 4 comparison of assessments. 1t is
le only way to get results. The first
idea that people get when they learn
that the assessors had a get-together
meeting on May 9Th, is that they are
going to raise taxes. The assessor
can not raise or levy an additional
tax upon any property. 1t is your
state government; the county board,
the town board and school board that
spend your money.
| All that we do is to distribute this
tax burden equally among the several
| property owners, real and personal.
I wish this Office could get the people
| to realize the Importance of having
a full value assessment. 1t means a
more uniform and equitable assess
ment. 1t is the natural value, the
value people use among themselves
when they buy, sell, consider, trade
or deal. It reduces the tax rate. I'M
provements worth while in assess
ments will never come until we edu-
cate the masses. The amount each
shall pay depends largely upon the
fairness and equality of the local as
sessment. The meetings Of the local
assessors will help to bring about
this uniformity. To do. successful
work in valuing any kind of property
you must separate each farm into it's
various classes and grades and apply
prices you have determined are truly
representative. different figure
should be applied on the different
classes of plough land, according to
location, and the extension Of the
same principle to cut-over, swamp,
marsh, waste and other classes max
ing up the description. I should like
to see the people 80 interested in
their own property that they would
be willing to-eAswer the questionable
that may be mailed to them calling
for the following: Number of acres
in grade A, grade B, grade and set
their own true value; these several
values to be compared with the local
assessors figures. This method would
help to get values more nearly true
to the standard. They could be ae-
copied or rejected.
Seek Accurate Values.
These meetings are to get true
values and uniformity in all towns.
The first meeting with 1000 attend
ance, ideal working weather, asses
sors full of optimism, leads one to
draw the advance conclusion that the
1926. assessment will reach 1000, on
full value, required by law. Why as
sess at 60@o Of the true value thereby
making it necessary for the assessor
Of incomes to bring this standard up
to full value? Why net do the task
yourself? This information given to
the public is to arouse each tax pay
er to help bring about uniformity.
More data will be published later in
the assessment work.
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OVATION FOR TRoTZKY.
Moscow Leon Trotzky, deposed
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