Evening star., 1951-01-26
Assessment Bill
ForMary|and
HasFdint Hope
Montgomery Womer
Dispute Provisions
At Special Meeting

BY J. B. Zotmon
Sfnr Stoff c Corfasnnndent

ANNAPOLIS, Jan. 26.-The con.
troversial bill to scrap Maryland.
f1ve-year rotational assessment
system faced a dim future today
Representatives of 19 of tht
States % counties attending {
joint meeting yesterday of the
Eastern and Western Shore county
commissioners voted to ask the
Senate Finance Committee to xii
the measure.
Spokesman for Montgomery anc
Baltimore Counties took no officia
stand and st. Marys and Dor.
chester Counties were not repre-.
sented at the session in the Carve
Hall Hotel.
Highlighting the discussion wa:
a dispute over the bill between
Mrs. Stella Werner and Mrs
Kathryn Lawlor of the Mont.
gomery County council.
Only 2 Supporters.
Mrs. Werner and her brother
Thomas Biddison, Baltimore City
solicitor, were the only supporters
of the plan.
The measure, drafted in &C
cordance with the recommenda-
tions of a special tax survey
commission, would substitute an
nual Statewide property ap-
praisals beginning January l
1854. for the present law under
which each county and Baltimore
is divided into five districts, one
of which is assessed each year.
Commission members claimed
yesterday the law, adopted in
1943, results in inequities. They
claimed it permits a district as
sessed during an infationary
period to be appraised at a much
higher figure than one evaluated
earlier in the five-year cycle.
Other Provisions.
The bill also provides for:
l. A uniform State wide eval-
uation system with all properties
appraised at their full cash value.
2. Local assessments based on
q percentage of this value, to be
determined by the officials of each
county and Baltimore in accord
ance with their revenue nea1s.
8. A sharp increase in the num-
Der of assessment maps. charts
and tables for the counties, the
cost of which would be paid by
the State.
4. Payment by the State of sal
aries for local assessors and as
sessment department clerks. This
expense now is shared on a $3.50
basis by the State and the various
subdivisions.
Mrs. Werner. in urging that the
commissioner organizations sup
port the bill, scolded her listeners
for having that determined look
that means you are against it
without understanding it."
81 Am Unique"
IT am unique because I am a
Democrat from Montgomery
County" she declared. "I came
through a Republican landslide
and I'm not a Brooke Lee Demo-
crat either"
Mrs. Werner referred to E.
Brooke Lee. longtime Montgomery
Democratic leader.
Turning to the Talbot and Fred
erick County representatives who
had spoken against the bill, she
said:
II warn you, Talbot, that things
are going to be different when the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge is built
And warn you. Frederick, that
things will be different when the
Governments dispersal program
goes through.
"The electorate doesn't want a
purely political administration any
more. The newer generation
wants business-like administra-
ton and that's what this bill
does"
"Speak for Yourself"
Mrs. Lawlor, Republican, then
arose and told her fellow council
member:
"As Priscilla told John Alden
please speak for yourself, Mrs
Werner"
Mrs. Lawlor, who emphasized
she was speaking only for herself
said that "the first thing to do
is to have the State Tax Com
mission put its house in order"
"It seems to me-" she added
that this bill is an attempt to
build the top of the house before
putting in the foundation"
Also speaking against the bill
were H. Wilson Spicknall ano
Edward G. Waters of the Prince
Georges County Board of Com
missioners.
The meeting of the county com
nissioners overshadoWed action ir
the General Assembly itself which
adjourned in its fourth week un.
til Monday night.
A battle was joined over author
ity of the University of Maryland
to erect and pay for it's buildings
without supervision by the Legis.
lature.
Senator Crothers, Democrat, O.
Cecil moved to make it fight
by introducing a bill making
technical changes in the law Civ.
ing the university such authority
last year. The changes are de.
signed to remove doubts of con.
stitutional legality.
The Crothers bill followed BY
just one day a bill by Senate,
Hoff. Republican, of Carroll tt
repeal the authority entirely.