The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1938-02-03
BIG GAIN MADE In REAL
ESTATE BY REASSESSMENT
Tax Basis Is Increased BY More
Than Two And One-Quarter
Million Dollars
INTANGIBLES NOT YET IN

A gain in the assessable basis of
the county of more than two and one
quarter million dollars, just in real
estate, is shown by the records at the
office Of the County Commissioners
and announced yesterday by R. C. Nc
Comas, Supervisor of Assessments,
bringing the total amount for real
and tangible personal property to the
sum of $18,725,538. To find the entire
assessable basis of the county it will
be necessary to add the intangible per-
sonal property assessment, which can
only be estimated at this time.
The Commissioners made the basis
S20,205,598 for the purpose of laying
the levy which was completed late on
Monday night. This is two and one
half million dollars above last years
basis, and slightly above that of 1882,
when the basis figures began to go
down on account of reductions being
made in the assessment of the Yough-
iogheny Hydro-Electric Power Com
pany and various other corporations
and individuals on the books Of the
county,
Real estate gains were made in
ten districts, while losses were sus-
tanned in Districts 6, 7, 10, II, 10 and
Is. Gains in the various districts were
explained by Mr.. McComas and the
Commissioners as follows:
District l, new buildings and in
creased value of property along Deep
Creek Lake; District 2, much land for
merly assessed as barren is now tilla-
BILE and several large tracts formerly
assessed in District No. 6, were trans
ferred to this district.
District No. 3, increases in public
utilities, especially the Potomac
Transmission Company; District 4, in
crease in assessment of the West Vir
ginia Pulp and Paper Company; Dis
trict 8, increased value in pasture and
tillable land which was formerly as
sessed lower than any point in the
county; District 9, increase in assess
ment of Potomac Edison Company;
District IA, increase in public utilities
assessments.
No. 10 lost because of depreciation
in coal land and mines, while and 10
lost because portions of these districts
and part of No. 8 were taken to form
District 16. In District II the loss was
explained by much land being sold to
the Government, which is not taxable.
Changes in Districts 5, II and Is were
only slight, in comparison with others.
There was loss of 81 ,595 in tangible
personal property.
The amounts of the old and new as
sessments by districts, with gains and
losses, both in real estate and tangi-
BILE personal property, will be found
tabulated on page eight.
Looking back over the records it is
found by comparison that in 1881 the
assessable basis was $20,769,186, and
the tax rate that year was SLIT. The
following year the basis was S2O,182,-
OFT and the rate was SLIGO. In 1888,
when the State took over the roads,
the basis dropped to $17,876,f95 and
the rate was S1O6. Since 1884 the rate
has been $1OO, while the assessable
basis until this year has remained
under eighteen million dollars.
Mr.. McComas points out that the
increase had come from increased
utility company assessments mainly
and the discovery of a number Of
pieces of property which had not been
taxed previously. 1t was not occa-
stoned by any hardship on the people,
as both real and personal items were
reduced in many cases.