Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-09
Rural Montgomery
Facing Tax Raise
ReuSSeSSnent
Notices Going to
10000 Soon

ASfVSS WV"
An estimated 10000 Mont
gomery County residents will re.
ceive notices of new assessments
b. April Is.
SharpeSt increases will be felt
by landowners in the rural cleo.
ton districts where the new as
sessments are the first in eight
years.
Most suburban property own
ers-some 70.000-will receive
no new notices.
That is because the attorney
general has ruled that notices
need not be mailed to property
owners unless their assessments
have been changed.
Suburbs Assessed in 1853
The suburban area was as
sessed in 1853 under the final
year Of the five-year cycle law.
Increases were steep. averaging
about IS per cent, because of .
Maryland Court of Appeals ruiz
ing that assessments had to be
based on full cash value at the
date the assessment became A.
nal. Changes this year are re-
ported to be slight.
The court ruling came after
the rural district assessments
had been made in Montgomery
County. The result is that the
new rural assessments reflect
land value changes since 194l,
the values used in the 1918
farm assessments.
County assessors have not yet
determined the average per-
centage increase on some 1000
farm assessments being mailed
out. The increases vary from
area to area because of shifts
! in land values.
To Go on Annual Basis
/ The new assessments become
effective May l and will be used
in calculating the 1867 tax
bills.
| The county at that time will
go on an annual assessment basis
along with the rest of the State.
Assessment Supervisor Wilton
IT. Allen says the new law will
simplify the assessors jobs and
Twill result in less protests from
property owners.
The county is shooting at O
ratio of soto so per cent of &C.
ltual sales values.
1 40 Per Cent Allowance
| Forty per cent is allowed for
normal building costs" Further
'lallowances also are made TO- de-
Ipreciation.
] On rural land, assessments are
higher on road-frontage proper
ties TO a depth of about 900 feet.
The road-frontage land is as
seSsed at about 80 per cent more
than the back land on a farm,
Mr.. Allen said.
! Assessment notices already
have been mailed out to resi-
dents of the LIST, I'd, Sd, 4th and
It'll election districts and part Of
the 18th district.
The actual assessment is made
by the Appeals Tax Court on
recommendation of the assessor.
The assessors have been working
in pairs in the rural area, but are
operating singly in the suburban
sections.
70 Keep Tax Maps
Under the new annual assess.
ment law. each assessor will
be assigned a section. 1t will be
his job to keep tax maps of prop
erty owners up to date and to
keep tab on sales to determine if
changes in assessments are
needed in his area.
1--WE always follow land values
AS reported in fair sales" Mr..
Allen said. I'VE do not try to
establish the values," ~
The assessors have been work
ing on the new assessments since,
1858, when the three-year cycle,
which expires May l, went into
effect. The law provided that all
assessments go on the books at
the end of the cycle.
Busy With Appeals
Appeals Tax Court Clerk
Agnes M. johnson said the
court had been busy but not
swamped" by appeals since
hearings began several weeks
iago.
Hearings-about 80 a night
have been scheduled for each
Monday night through INDIAN
uary. Already completed are
consideration Of appeals from
the Clarksburg and Laytonsville
district.
Being scheduled at present
are appeals from the Rockville
and Poolesville districts.
Members of the Appeals Tax
Court now are Robert w. Far
mer, chairman; Nathaniel J.
Ely and John r. Cullen.
DBL CHI