The Daily Alaska empire., 1945-07-31
JAPAN FORWARDED FOR SEVENTH TIME
COUNCIL VOTES TO COMPROMISE
 ON VALUATIONS
City Will Foot Bill for Com. mittee to Survey
 Grievances

Mayer Ernest Parsons this
 afternoon revealed that John
 Rock has agreed to serve as the
 City Councils choice on the
 three-man committee that is to
 assist taxpayers in presenting
 evidence of assessment inequities
 to the Board of Equalization.
 It is expected that MT. Reck
 and Taxpayers Association rep
 resentative Walter Sharpe will
 reach agreement this evening on
 the third member of the com
 mittce.
 After nearly three hours of ami mated discussion, during which nearly everyone spoke his piece, the Committee representing the Juneau Taxpayers Association last night settled with the City Administra- ton for part of the loaf.
 The proposal finally agreed to by the Committee, and approved by all five members of the Council present, sets forth that the Co,fncl shall ap- point one Juneau property owner, not a member of this or the immed- lately proceeding Council, that the Taxpayers Association shall name similar representative and that the two so named shall select a third similar person, the three to act as an agency to make recommendations to the Board of Equalization concern ing properties wherein it is claimed that assessed valuations are not equal CT uniform or do not represent the actual values. The so-named committee of three is to have accesB to necessary tax records and shall attach it's recommendations to the assessment cards concerned, for the attention of the Equalization Board. The three agents will commence work on grievance on August and shall be paid by the City at the rate of $15 a day, each.
 The motion that carried was proposed by Councilman Don Skuse and was given a verbal OK by the Taxpayers Committee before being put to vote.
 Sharpe Named
 Following it's passage, Walter Sharpe was named to act as repre- sentative of the Taxpayers Associa- tion and Mayor Ernest Parsons was authorized to determine the selec- tion for the City Administration from a list of four names submit- ted by Councilmen: John Reck, J. J. Meherin, Nick Rocovich and Lockie MacKinnon. Allen Shat tuck's name was also proposed by the Council, but was withdrawn at his request.
 The principal bone of contention between the taxpayers and the Council was whether any commit tee so named to survey assessments would be empowered to go over the entire tax roll to recommend equal izing adjustments, or if it should only be authorized to handle assess ment grievances. On that point the Council held to it's position, linn iting. the authority of the commit tee of three to looking into com- plaints lodged with it.
 At one point. quantities of oil spread on troubled waters by the Mayor prevented the representa- tives of the Taxpayers Association from stalking from last nights spec ial Council meeting with their dan der up. The critical point came upon the heels of the Councils adopting, by a five to nothing vote, a prior motion by Councilman Skuse to the effect that the original petition of the Taxpayers Association be re- jected. Councilman John Young was not present.
 Proposal Unlawful
 The Council based it's action at that time on the contention that the original proposal would have set up a committee to equalize the assess ment rolls whose decisions would be binding upon the Council-that such action would be unlawful delegation of the Councils authority.
 The Taxpayers representatives voiced that such was not at all the intent of their petition, that an ad- visory capacity was all they asked for any such re-appraisal group. However. to the Mayors suggestion that the Taxpayers appoint their own committee to go over the tax rolls, the Council having no part, Committee Chairman Charles Nagh- el put up strong opposition. He pointed out that the Taxpayers would not require Council authoriza- tion if that was all that was want ed. The reason the Council had been asked to name one member to the survey group was so that such a
 (COntfnued 0n Page Three)