Evening star., 1953-12-03
Council Insists
MckeIdin Act
On Assessing
Montgomery Sends
Urgent Demand
To State Officials
By Charles |. Hoffman

By chorIes |. Hoffman
The Montgomery County
Council today demanded that
Gov. McKeldin and the Mary
land State Tax Commission take
Immediate steps" to equalize
real estate assessments on q
Statewide basis.
In a strongly worded resolu-
tion adopted late last night. the
council denounced the "gross and
shocking disparities among the
counties in the ratio of assess
mentS, to sales"
The resolution was ordered
prepared this morning for
delivery by messenger before
noon to the Governor in Annap-
oils and the State Tax Commis-
sion in Baltimore.
The resolution said Montgom-
cry and other highly assessed
counties were "victimized and
suffer great loss because of these
(aSseSSment) disparities."
To Meet With Others.
The council also plans to seek
meeting with representatives of
the other counties to make q
joint demand on the Governor
for corrective action in the
assessment situation.
In addressing it's demand both
to the Governor and the COM
mission the Council indicated
it felt Commission Chairman
Deeley K. Nice would be up
against a stone wall in trying to
increase assessments anywhere
during the coming election year
without aid from the highest
State level.
The political hot potato was
tossed in the Governors lap as
an aftermath of a survey which
showed assessment ratios vary
ing from Is per cent to So per
cent among the counties and 60
per cent in Baltimore City.
Fifteen Maryland Counties were
shown to be assessing too low
and thereby getting a dispropor-
tionate share of State school
funds.
The resolution calls on the
Governor and the commission to
correct the inequities before the
next distribution of school equal
ization funds. That is at the
end Of the present school year.
Wants Report On Action.
At the same time the council
said it wanted to be informed
officially before January / pre-
cisely" what steps were being
taken to assure equalization.
The council authorized copies
Of the resolution to be sent by
registered mail to all county
commissioners and appeal tax
courts and the Baltimore City
Council. Publication as paid
advertising in Washington, Bal
tlmore and Frederick daily news
papers and Montgomery week.
lies also was ordered.
Six members of the council
met last night with the County
Appeals Tax Court and County
supervisor of Assessments VIII
ton T. Allen. Only Mrs. Stella
b. Werner. a Democrat, was alb
sent. Five of the seven council
members are Republicans.
Approximately one quarter
million citizens of Montgomery
County have the right and duty
to demand that the State of
Maryland through it's chief ex-
ecutive officer and it's State Tax
commission take immediate ac-
ton to bring assessments among
counties into uniformity. the
resolution said.
Adopted in Open Session.
The resolution was adopted in
an open session immediately
after . stormy off-the-record
meeting attended by the press.
Harshly criticized by the
council for misleading" resi-
dents last year was Tax Commits
sion Secretary Albert w. Ward.
At that time, the council was
taking considerable abuse from
taxpayers because of sharply in
creased assessments in the sub
urban area. Mr.. Ward appeared
before the council and said
Montgomery was assessing no
higher than other counties and
IN some cases lower.
Montgomery, whose ratio OF
assessments to sales in so per
cent, lies in the 45-55 per cent
range which the Tax Commits
sion says is proper. Only Ale
gany County at So per cent ex-
ceeds Montgomery.
Voting Figures Cited.
Councilmen, with an eye on
the Governors political acumen,
pointed out that the large coun-
ties assessing properly not only
have 80 per cent of the States
wealth but also about the same
proportion Of the States voting
population.
Corrective legislation is need
ed to bring the school equaliza-
ton fund law UP to date, the
council said. But members
added they anticipated little
success along these lines because