Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-02-04
Bill Introduced
For Continuous
Assessments
Alexandria Council
Measure Given House
Is Optional

By . Staff Correspondent Of The Star.
RICHMOND, Feb. 4.-An enabling
act which would authorize the Alex
andria City Council to set up .
system Of continuous annual assess
ments Of real estate was introduced
In the House Of Delegates yesterday
by Delegate Maurice D. Rosenberg
Of Alexandria and i've other patrons.
The measure Is sponsored by the
League Of Virginia Municipalities
and fulfllls . request made by the
Council.
Another measure, introduced by
Delegate Charles r. Fenwick of
Arlington. is designed to permit
banks accepting funds from that
county for deposit to place securi-
ties in the hands Of the State treas
urer without payment of insurance
premiums. This bill Is the out
come Of . request from Arlington
County Treasurer John Locke
Green, who has been unable to 10
cate sufficient repositories to &C
cept all Of the money collected by
the county after the December
tax deadline.
Penalty Exemption Asked.
At the request of the Organized
Women Voters of Arlington, Mr..
Fenwick introduced a bill to exempt
persons serving in the military
forces Of the United States from
penalties and interest on past due
taxes during the period of their
service in the armed forces and for
one year thereafter.
Delegate E. r. Conner OF Prince
William County introduced a bill
to provide for the relief Of c. c.
Lynn Of Manassas, who had over
paid real estate taxes in the amount
Of $174.98 because of an erroneous
assessment by the county commits
sioner of revenue.
Another measure by Mr.. Fenwick
repeats an existing law which pro-
rates assessments against rolling
stock Of motor carriers to the coun-
ties and cities through which the
trucks and buses operate. Mr..
Fenwick's measure would author
lie the commissioner OF revenue to
levy assessments, on a PERSONAL
property basis, against all Of the
rolling stock garaged in one 10
cality. The law would permit Ar
lngton to collect all of the taxes
on the buses Of the Arnold-op-
Grated lines and the Arlington
Fairfax Motor Transportation Co.,
which garage their equipment in
that county although they do bus
mess in Fairfax County and Alex
andria.
Optional Assessment Plan.
Mr.. Rosenberg's bill for a con-
tinuous annual assessment Of real
estate would make it optional with
the cities whether to abandon the
present method of reassessing prop
erty every four years.
Senator William D. Medley of
Arlington introduced three bills In
the Upper House yesterday. the re-
suit Of a request from Mr.. Green,
who Is chairman of the Legislative
Committee of the Commissioners Of
Revenue Association of Virginia.
One bill requires the owners of
apartment buildings Of four or more
units to file by February l each
year with the revenue commissioners
the names of adult occupants Of the
buildings as of January l.
A second bill authorizes the COM
missioners to summon taxpayers to
appear and be examined under oath
with respect to returns filed.
A third bill would repeal a re-
quirement Of existing law that q
duplicate copy Of the commission
ers' personal property taxbooks be
furnished to court clerks.
Housing Project Bill Passed.
The House yesterday passed, 81
to 2, the Observation-Disclosures bill
extending the field Of investments
for life insurance companies, max
ing possible a 100000 housing
project in Alexandria. The measure
now goes to the Senate.
Mr.. Rosenberg said he voted for
the measure because local govern
ment officials in Alexandria had
made it clear that they Endorsed
the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.
project.
II am concerned, however, that a
foreign corporation with huge assets
such as this life insurance company
should come into a community to
provide housing" Mr.. Rosenberg
said. 1T is possible under terms of
the bill for another project Of $500
units to be built in Arlington County
and a third of the same size to be
erected in Fairfax County.
Voting 80 to 8, the House passed
and sent to the Senate the bill Of
Delegate E. B. Moore of Berryville
reducing the maximum speeds Of
automobiles to As miles an hour and
of trucks to 40 miles an hour, as a
factor in conserving rubber and fuel.
The bill as amended at the last
moment by Delegate Robert F.
Baldwin of Norfolk would permit the
Senate Highway Commission, where
it had jurisdiction, and the local
governing bodies of cities and towns,
where they have Jurisdiction, to
establish speed limits to conform
with local conditions providing signs
indicating the limits are prominently
displayed.
Among other bills introduced was
one by Mr.. Conner. who Joined
Delegate Henry S. johnson OF Hylas
in sponsoring a measure to broaden
the present law relating to the ad-
ministration Of schools.
A school may nov be Jointly ad-
ministered by counties adjacent to
each other and the proposed bill
would permit the administration Of
such institutions by other counties
and cities, not necessarily adjacent
to the county or city In which the
school is situated. The Vocational
Training School ut Manassas could
thus be partly administered by
counties or cities which do not
border on Prince William County.
Another new bill by w. H. Irvine
OF Campbell County would authorize
the governing bodies of counties adj
Joining any CITY which maintains