The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-11-26
SUGGESTS SAME
SAUCE FOR ALL
City Attorney Randall Ad-
dresses County Board
y on Assessment Plan.
CUNDY EXPLAINS PLAN
Assessor Cundy Appears Be-
fore Board to Discuss
Sales Plan.

"What is sauce for the goose is
sauce for the gander," declared City
Attorney Clifford E. Randall this
morning in an address before the
county board of supervisors regarding
the adoption of assessments for the
various towns and the city of Kenosha,
establishing the ratio of county taxes
to be paid by each district. He APP
peared at the invitation of the board
to discuss the plan for equalization
which has been submitted to the as
sessment committee by the city, based
on the valuations made by the as
SCISSORS for the districts during the
past five years.
Assessor of Incomes R. l.. Cundy
wa also invited to appear again be-
plan which he had presented earlier
on a sales method, using the three
five year system for all of the towns
except Somers and Pleasant Prairie, a
three year method for these two towns
and the assessment figures for the
year 1924 for the city of Kenosha.
'The city Of Kenosha is not trying
to evade any portion of its burden
of the taxes" said City Attorney
Randall. at desires to pay it's just
share, no more and no less, and it is
certain that the other districts feel
the same way regarding this. The plan
suggested by Assessor Cundy takes an
experience for five years for some Of
the towns, for three years for other
towns and for one year for the city
of Kenosha. I've always been taught
that what is sauce for the goose is
sauce for the gander and can see no
reason why one system is used for
one set of districts and another for
others. All should be based on the
same plan otherwise it will be unfair
to some part of the county"
Attorney Randall discussed the sales
method, which is advocated in the plan
suggested by Assessor Cundy and
which would boost the apportionment
to the city of Kenosha more than nine
per cent, asking the supervisors to
Judge from their own experience,
knowing how transfers are made, how
fallible a sales system would be.
"Mr. Cundy says that no system of
assessment can be perfect" said At
torney Randall, "and that is correct.
How can anyone, taking sales, elimin-
ate the chaff from the wheat. Some
property in certain towns sold at a
high figure and some sold at low
figure due to conditions affecting
the sale.
"It is up to you people to decide
whether you will take the judgment
of the assessors who go from house
to house and farm to farm or to take
the results secured by taking a few
sales. The plan proposed by the city
and it is presented merely to aid in
guiding you, who must decide--treats
all alike and is therefore just, fair
and equitable to all districts"
i. Probably Higher Assessment Here.
That there was probably higher
assessment in the city of 'Kenosha
than in the towns was also asserted
by Attorney Randall. He pointed out
the needs of Kenosha as a growing city
and how the assessment was in
creased in order that the bonding
power of the city would be large
enough to help meet the needs of pro-
viding schools, streets, water and
other improvements. He called atten-
ton to the fact that increases here
were largely due to new buildings
which would naturally be assessed
higher than older structures.
Assessor Cundy presenting the sales
method declared that it had been adj
vocated because of the fact that it
lifted the assessment out of local con-
ditions. He stated that it had been
advocated by the tax commission for
that reason. "The sales method will
be the only method that will keep as
SCISSORS alive to the increases that
should be made in a community"
he said.
He also explained that he had pre-
scented only the one plan because he
believed that the presentation of many
plans would only lead to confusion.
He declared he had figures~on a five
year assessment value for all of the
districts which he would furnish to
the board if it desired.
He added that he had statement
regarding the plan which he had pre-
scented which statement he would give
out for publication later and thereby
correct some erroneous impressions
regarding it.
The board did not take any action
on the question. 1t will await the
formal report of the finance commit
tee before such action is taken and
the discussion today was merely to
guide it in its deliberations.