Evening star., 1953-12-20
Move 10 Ease
Tax Rate Slated
In nAIexandria
Council to Discuss
City's Assessment
Policy Tuesday

sessmentS will be examined by
the City Council Tuesday night
in the hope Of finding a way to
ease the burden on property
owners. whose assessments have
risen sharply.
The new total assessed valua-
tion-$140, 1868, ,420-is so close to
what the council anticipated in
setting the 1953-54 budget that
there seems little prospect of
any steep reduction in the pres
ent $2.75 real estate tax.
Property valued at 1884 mil
lion a year ago has been reas-
sessed to total value of 1929
million. an increase of about ~
per cent. The council had ex-
pected an increase of about 40
per cent on existing property as
a result of the reassessment.
The new assessment total in
cludes about So million in con-
struction completed in the past
year.
Cautious Cut Is Urged.
A 42 per cent increase in taxes
is in prospect unless the present
levy is lowered or the rate of
assessment is changed. For some
property owners, the tax in
crease will be much higher be-
cause their assessments have
risen much more than the aver
age.
The council meeting at 7:SO
pm. Tuesday at City Hall is ex-
pected to deI elop into a discus
sion Of assessment policy. The
Citizens Advisory Tax Commits
sion. in a report prepared for
City Council, said a proposed
plan to assess real property at
40 per cent of its appraised value
instead of the present so per
cent should not be adopted.
The commission, at a meeting
with the council, put it's blessing
on the new assessment and urged
a cautious reduction in the tax
rate now, with further reductions
later if they can be granted.
Albert A. Smoot is chairman of
the tax commission.
Deficit Financing Seen.
The commission said that "the
existing practice (of assessing at
so per cent? is a matter of GUS
tom and perhaps could be adj
juSted by the assessor without
any greater departure from the
mandate of the statute than re-
suits from the present practice"
State law fails to give cities au-
thority to set assessment rates, ]
the commission said. 7
The report added that cit is
inappropriate for the City Coun-
Gil to instruct the assessor to act
in q manner inconsistent with
governing provisions of law"
The State Constitution pro-
vides that assessments shall be
based on the fair market value
of real property.
The 40 per cent formula, pro-
posed by Councilman James M.
Duncan, jr., would result in q
tax base of $112.7 million.
City Manager Ira F. Willard
said this would result in revenue
$372,000 less than had been esti-
mated as the real estate tax
yield and would put us into de-
f1cit financing"
Mayor FavOrs Reduction.
The newly-announced assess
ment total would produce
$2.015,848 during the next six
months at the present tax rate.
or surplus of only $30,848 over
the amount budgeted for the first
half of 1854. the manager said.
Heads of city departments al
ready have estimated they will
need about $45,000 more than
provided in the budget for the
next six months.
The advocates of lower taxes,
including Mayor Marshall j.
Beverley and Vice Mayor Leroy
S. Bendheim, are wary about re-
ducing the tax rate because such
q reduction would result in less
revenue from property owned by
public utilities in the city. This
has resulted in the proposal that
the assessment rate be reduced
by the council, because the coun-
cil's action would not affect pub
lie utility assessments, which are
set by the State.
Mayor Beverley says the new
assessment total "is too high"
IT know that many, many peo-
pie are having trouble paying
their taxes. I am in favor of di-
recting the city manager to cut
expenses as much as possible"
the mayor said.
Mr.. Beverley said he is in favor
of a reduction in taxes mo