The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-01-10

, 1nere is considerable merit TO the
, third charge of the formal COM
! plant. In 1894, the Works Progress
: Administration installed O system Of
. card indices which embodied in.
formation standardly recognized as
necessary for q complete card sys-
| tenn. In the installation Of this sys-
tenn street cards were adequately
prepared and property summary
. cards were compiled. Unfortunately,
these records were never fully COM
pleted covering all taxable property
and have not been kept up to date
AS result at the present time they
are substantially obsolete and re-
quire q revision and recompilation
to bring them to a current status
and consequently are of little or no
value to the Assessors in the proper
function Of their office.
Charge 4
Adequate safe guards for the pro-
lection Of the Assessors records
have not been made; they are kept
In files which are not flreproof;
and without anybody being on duty
in the ONCE the records are open
and accessible to any person visit
ing such ONCE.
Finding
At the time the investigation OF
the ONCE was made, 1t appeared
that the criticism regarding the
maintenance was discussed at some
length with the Warden and sug-
gestions made, which have been
carried out. AS consequence, it is
felt that adequate safeguards for
the protection of the Assessors rec
ords have been put into effect. The
current property lists are now kept
In the vault during the night,
stored in steel vault-truck
which Is wheeled out of the vault
to the Assessors ONCE each morn
ing where the lists are available for
use throughout the day and then
returned TO the vault for safe-keep-
ing at the close TO business. During
the time these Lists are in the once,
they are under the surveillance and
control Of the Assessors or the
clerk. A four drawer cabinet con-
tanning the property assessment
cards Is now kept in the vault
under lock and key. possession OF
the key being retained by the AS
SCISSORS or the clerk. Provision has
been made for the storage Of the
back tax lists in the basement vault
and as soon as the current lists are
superseded by new lists, they will
also be transferred to the basement
vault.
Charge 5
There has been no work done in
the ONCE since October. 1912. There
has been no clerk in the Assessors
ONCE since last November, until
Monday, August 9th.
Finding
The Tax Assessors ONCE was
without the services Of a Senior
Assessor since the month Of June,
1913, as previously referred to, and
was also without the services Of O
clerk from March IL, 1913 until
August Of the same year. It stands
to reason. therefore, that of neces-
sity the work must have fallen be-
hind and could not possibly have
been conducted properly with only
one employe out of q complement
Of three TO carry on the duties of
the ONCE. Since the appointment OF
a Senior Assessor, on August %,
1913, and the appointment Of a
clerk during the same month, con-
siderable work has been done by
the entire office force in an attempt
to make up for the previous def
ciencies in the ONCE, due to lack of
proper personnel.
Charge 6
Property has not been changed
from acreage into lots as 1t has
been developed or improved. This
situation Is due to O lack Of Bor-
ough Engineers.
Finding
The Borough Of Naugatuck Is d.
vided into two (2) districts. District
2 takes in the central Borough area
where sewerage and other modern
facilities are provided. District one
includes the outside area. which is
in the main, not equipped with such
facilities. These districts are map
ped and blocked out but were not
at the time Of the investigation
sufficiently completed with all
changes brought up to date so that
accurate reliance could be placed
thereon by the Assessors in the
scope Of their duties. Since tax
maps comprise the very foundation
Of an adequate system OF taxation,
1t Is essential that competent en-
gineer be placed in charge of this
work so that careful and competent
revision can be kept abreast of
property changes and acreage
transposed into lots whenever the
occasion SO warrants. This Is espe-
cially necessary when consideration
is given to the fact that many
deeds Of properties contain more
or less" descriptions and unless
typographical delineations are
maintained unsound assessments
are kept to become progressively
worse with the passage of time.
This inadequacy, due to the lack Of
o Borough Engineer, has been SUBJ
sequently corrected since at q regu-
lar meeting Of the Board Of War
den and Burgesses held on the 9Th
day Of October, 1913, q Borough
Engineer in the person Of Charles
D. Curtis, was employed and Is now
In charge Of the map work In the
Assessors ONCE.
Charge
The possibility that the list will
not be ready for the property owner
/ 70 s'0n on October lak
Finding
At the time that the seventh
complaint herein listed was regis
tered with this once. It appeared
that there was likelihood that the
tax lists would not be available for
signature and mailing as pres
crtbed BY statutes. Fortunately. the