Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-07
Finance Chief
Wants 3More
D. {. Assessors
OfficioI Believes
Additions Will
Boost City income

Boost City Income
District Finance Officer James
L. Martin plans to request three
more assistant real estate asses
sors in the fiscal 1856 budget,
it was learned yesterday.
Congress granted his Office two
in the 1854 appropriations bill.
Mr.. Martin has already asked
for three more in the fiscal 1855
budget now pending. With the
increase he proposes to ask for
1856, the assistant assessor staff
would total 13-"enough to
satisfy our needs for the fore
seeable future" Mr.. Martin said.
Mr.. Martin testified in the
1854 budget hearings that each
new assistant assessor he gets
produces revenue many times
over" the assistants salary. He
promised that if provided all
four of the assistants he re-
quested for 1854 real estate tax
revenues would rise by about
! 100000 annually.
S1,5OO in Revenue.
The finance officer gave COM
parable estimates of bigger
revenue If given six additional
examiners in both the personal
property and income franchise
tax divisions. He said each
examiner produces about $500
weekly in revenue for the city.
Instead Of getting the Is adj
d1tional specialists he requested,
however, Mr.. Martin was pro-
vided funds for only two more
real estate assessors and one
more property tax examiner. The
assessor Jobs now are filled. The
property tax position still goes
begging.
Due to various factors. aside
from congressional unwillingness
to provide funds. MIR. Martins
dream of bigger revenues from
existing sources has failed to
materialize at all to date.
The hiring problem is serious,
Mr.. Martin said. Although funds
for the new assessor jobs were
available last July 81, he was
unable to fill them with qualified
men until two months later.
The difficulty is two-fold. First.
the present law requires that
assistant assessors live in the
District at least five years prior
to their employment. Second, as
Mr.. Martin puts it, It's hard
to interest real estate men in
taking a S7,000-a-year Job like
this. There's more money in
private business"
Higher Salaries Doubtful.
Mr.. Martin feels that the solu-
ton to the first difficulty is legis-
lation that would knock out the
five-year District residence re-
quirement and permit hiring of
assessors living in the Washing
ton area. A bill to this effect was
introduced at Mr.. Martins re-
quest last January by Chairman
Case of the Senate District COM
mittee and Chairman OHara Of
the House District Committee.
The only answer to the other
problem is providing higher SAL
aries than the present range Of
$7040-$8.040. But there is little
chance of hiking the scale at this
time, District finances being in
their present sad shape, Mr.. Mar
tin says.
Another cause for the delay
has been the need for indoctri-
mating the two new assistants in
their new jobs. This is necessary
even though both of the men
have solid background of either
real estate or engineering work.
Joseph F. Chase. 81, of 4409
Warren street NV. who re-
ported for duty September 81,
has experience dating back to
1880 as private real estate
broker. and in Federal Govern
ment real estate appraisal and
taxation work. According to Mr..
Martin, the District was fortu-
nate in getting Mr.. Chase'S serv-
ices due to a Federal reduction
in-force which hit the Public
Housing Administration, where
he was last employed.
Aides ON Their Own
The second new assistant. Jo-
seph F. Starke, As, Of 4413 Four
teenth street NE, entered Dis
trict service last October 7 in
preference to being transferred
in his Public Buildings Admins
tration job from here to Georgia.
Mr.. Starke has been engaged in
mechanical and construction en-
gineerlng since 1928.
Mr. Martin said that his two
new aides travelled around with
other assistant assessors for two
months learning the Districts
appra ;sal methods. They are
now ION their own. he added.
But under the law only por-
ton of the property evaluations
they make will be felt in terms
of actual revenue, before next
year
The effective date of assess
ments of new buildings is July
if the structure is appraised
during the first six months of
the year. and January l for
those assessed in the second six
months.
Refreshments of "old" build
ingS do not take effect until July
of the year following that in
which the appraisal was made.
And these revenue time-laes
are increased still further be-
cause tax payments are not due
until the September or March
following the effective date of
the. assessment.
Reception Uncertain.
Mr.. Martins pleas for more