The Daily Alaska empire., 1945-07-27

their complaints. A query py MIS. Henry Roden elicited the informa- tion hat assessment valuations can- not be sustained in the Courts if they are arbitrary--they must be reasonable.
 Mayor Ernest Parsons, who stated that he was attending the meeting as an interested spectator, was call ed upon by Chairman Hixson for remarks. The Mayor passed the matter of assessment inequities to the Board of Equalization, but did lay bare the main root of the City's present assessment imbroglio, when he stated:
 T am glad to see meeting of this kind. It is only too bad that sit uation of this kind has to exist be- fore the people will take an inter- est in civic affairs"
 Chairman Hixson responded by declaring his opinion that the tax payers group should be perman- ent organization to keep an eye on the City Hall Voluntary donations amounting to slightly more than $26 were collected to further the work of the Taxpayers Association
 (The following is the exact word- ing of the resolution adopted at last evenings Juneau Taxpayers Associa- tion meeting in the Coliseum Thea tre, and signed by those present. Copies of the resolution have been made available for additional sigma lures at Juneau Drug Co.,, Butler Mauro Drug Co.,, Harry Race Drug Co.,, and other downtown business es- tablishments.)
 ITO THE MAYOR AND CITY
 COUNCIL OF JUNEAU, ALASKA: 1:
 We, the undersigned taxpayers of the City of Juneau, have received our notices of assessments for the year 1945 sand we have examined these, and also examined others for the purpose of comparison, and we find that there are gross inequities in the tax roll for the present year. Apparently the assessor was very careless in placing values upon cer- tain parcels of property and build ings, and the assessments are by no means uniform, as the law requires, but contain many gross inequities.
 Values, in many cases, have been placed much too high and much higher than can be sustained.
 According to the records of the City large sum was paid the asses sor for his work in valuing the property for the purpose of the l945 assessments. It would seem from the results obtained that large portion of this money has been vast ed
 However. notwithstanding such waste of funds, we believe that the City will eventually make saving if the Council will employ two or three competent residents of the City !, to re-vamp the whole assessment roll and cqualize the values, as the law requires.
 ITO attempt to sustain the pres ent assessment roll and collect the taxes on the values fixed by this years assessor, will surely involve expensive litigation, and it is ouI firm opinion that any attempt tc sustain the present tax roll with its inequities, will surely fail.
 We therefore respectfully request the Council to employ one of two competent men to go over the assess ment roll for the purpose of correct ing the gross inequities mentioned and for the purpose of placing true values on all the property listed on the rolls.
 We urge that this be done be- i fore any action is taken by the Council to equalize the taxes upon the property of such individual tax payers as may be able to appear before the Board in the limited time which the Council can, under any circumstances. devote to it's duties nx -T