Evening star., 1935-03-18
SPECIAL APPRAISAL
OF ALLEYS BANNED
Controller General Holds
District Assessor Must
Set Values.

The District Alley Dwelling Author
ity has been advised by the controller
general that the facilities Of the Dis
trict assessors office, rather than
some outside staff, must be used in
valuing the property to be taken over
in the alley cleanup project.
This was made known today in a
letter from R. N. Elliott, acting con-
troller general in the absence of j. r.
McCarl. in response to request from
the Alley Dwelling Authority as TO
procedure to be followed in a plan
which contemplated letting the valua-
ton work out under contract to per-
sons recommended, upon request. by
the Washington Real Estate Board.
There would seem to be neither
necessity nor authority to contract
with persons not connected with the
Government service to appraise all
parcels of property proposed to be &C
quired," Elliott wrote.
Appraiser Held Necessary.
In taking the matter up with the
controller generals office, it was eX-
planned that it was at first thought
the land might be acquired through
voluntary agreements with the owners
at prices not to exceed assessed valu-
alton, but that 1T was finally con-
cluded that there might be instances
where the property was not properly
YNYIh1iP if1forpCf
would require appraisal by a compe-
tent appraiser. who would be able in
event condemnation proceedings were
required in any case to testify in court
on the reasonable value of the prop
erty."
The Real Estate Board was then
asked to list some competent ap-
praiSers and furnish the names of
eight. from whom bids ranging from
$5 to SIS per parcel were obtained.
Continuing, the authority said it was
realized that by law the lowest bids
must be accepted under ordinary cir
cumStanceS, but there are many other
factors involved in securing compe-
tent real estate appraisers than the
bid price submitted by particular ap-
praisers; also, one or two men would
not be sufficient to perform this work,
as the time required for one or two
appraisers to make the appraisal would
unduly delay the building program.
Furthermore, it may be necessary to
have two or more appraisers to make
appraisals of some or all of the va
rious parcels of property in order that
the appraisal of one might be some
what of check upon the appraisal OF
the other"
Duty of Assessors Cited.
Under the circumstances, the au-
thority said, that if there is no legal
objection it was proposed to accept the
bids of such appraisers las it believes
after investigation to be competent,
entirely trustworthy and having no
interest whatever in the property to
be appraised and without regard to
the amount of the bids submitted by
them"
In response Elliott pointed out that
the law makes it the duty of the as
SCISSOR Of taxes in the District and
three members of the Board of As
sistant Assessors, to assess all real
property here for taxation purposes at
full value and that the assessor and
six members of the Board Of As
Sistant Assessors shall constitute the
Board of Equalization and Review.
Nor is there any barrier, he added,
which would prevent the assessor from
qualifying as an expert witness as to
the value of local real estate.