Year: 1875

THE NEW ASSESSMENT LAW.


The following is the Assessment Law
passed by the Legislature which has just
adjourned:


SECTION 1, Be 1t anmacted 6y. tie Geler0I
assembly Of the State Of Tennessee, That the
Quarterly County Courts of each county,
shall, at the April Term, 1875, and at
said term every four years thereafter,
elect a discreet and prudent person, be-
ing free holder and citizen thereof,
whose duty it shall be to assess, list and
return Gs herein provided, for taxation,
all the real estate in his county, not ex-
empt from taxation, and said assessor
before entering upon the duties of his
office, shall execute and deliver to the
Court, a bond with two sufficient sure
ties in the penal sum of five thousand
dollars, conditioned, to faithfully and
impartially discharge all the duties inn
posed, or to be imposed, by law upon
him, payable to the State, and he shall
also take and subscribe, before the Clerk
of said Court, an oath, honestly, faith
fully, impartially and fearlessly to assess
value and list all real estate in his county,
not exempt by law from taxation.


SEC. 2. Be 1t further enacted, Said asses
sor shall proceed to assess the real estate
in his county in manner following, viz. ::
He shall first prepare complete list Of
all taxable real estate in each. civil dis
trict or ward of his county, and then
select in each district or ward, with tax
able realty worth less than $20O, 900 by
the last assessment, one, and in all other
districts or wards, two reputable, dis
erect and prudent men, frec-holdcrs and
residents therein, as assistants, and he
shall administer to each an oath, that he
will honestly, faithfully and impartially
assess and value, each and every tract or
lot of land in hi S district or ward, and
these two assistants, together with the
assessor, shall proceed, at some desig-
mated place in each district or ward, to
assess and value, in writing, all the real
estate nssaid district or ward, giving the
name of each owner, in alphabetical or
der, and setting out the number of acres
of each tract, and if the same be in a
town, the present number of the lot, and
the number of front feet, and the depth
thereof. and the assessed value of each
tract or lot, and the list shall be sub
scribed by each, and returned to the
Clerk of the County Court by the asses
sor; and in all cases of disagreement in
valuation by the assistants, the assessor
shall determine the value, and he shall
determine the value of the real estate
owned by his assistants, and the Judge
or Chairman of the County Court shall
determine the assessed value of the real
estate Of the assessor, and certify the
same to him; and in districts and wards
where the assessor has only one assistant
the Judge or Chairman, in cases of dis
agreement in valuation between the as
SCISSOR aud his assistants shall determine
the valuation; PfOs5ded, That nothing in
this Act shall be construed to restrict
the power of the Quarterly Court to hear
and determine applications as now pro-
vided by law in regard to alleged erro-
neous assessments after the assessor shall
have made his returns to the County
Court Clerk: PrOcSded, That such appli-
cation shall be made at the first terms of
such Quarterly Court, occurring more
than thirty days after the return by the
assessor, and never thereafter, except
ing, however, as to non-residents, who
shall have until the second term of said
Court, but no longer.


SEC. 8. Be at further enacted All the
real estate shall be estimated on the prin-
ciples laid down in Sections 565 and 566
of the code of Tennessee, and shall be
assessed to the person who is the owner
or reputed owner of the same, on the
first day of Aprll of the year of the as
sessment.


SEC. f. Be IL taeysaer enacted, That the
assessor shall return the assessment roll
of each district or ward, to the clerk of
the County Court, so soon as the same is
completed; and the same shall be pre-
served by said clerk, and the whole shall
be in the hands of the clerk of the Coun-
ty Court by the first day of July sue
ceeding, in all counties with taxable re-
atty, worth 50, COZ, 900 or under, and the
assessor shall have one month additional
foI each additional s., s,000,O 900 in every
county wherein to make said returns:
P,'ooidec5, That said return shall, in. any
event, be made by the first day of 0cto-
her.


SEC. s. Be It further enacted, That the
clerk of the County Court shall enter the
assessments aforesaid, in a fair hand
writing in one book, suitably ruled and
substantially bound, showing the name
in alphabetical order, OF each owner of
the property assessed, in each civil dis
trict or ward, as reported by the assessor,
the contents in acres or feet and the as
sessed value of the same, giving such de-
scription Of each tract or lot as is shown
in the assessors return, and the book