October 4, 1934 WILMETTE LIFE i i Let Township Assessor Actual1 FjxVauations,LeadesM rg Cougntry T o wnss Group Sug-: gests New' System in'Cosmnty By Thoma'.» A. Matthews (Exectivte Secret ary, Sitbutrban Area and Coiintry Towns association) The Suburban Area and Country Towns association of Cook county urges that the township assessor be given the power te actually fix the assessed value cf property within bis district se that the determinatien of assessed values, upon which ail taxes are, based,. will be more accurate. At present, the, tewnship assessor ini Cook county operates merely as a depu- ty te the county assesser. He receives individual schedules cf personal prep- erty, and reports te the county assessor any new buildings that are censtructed in his area. It is the ceunty assessor whoplaces the value upon the preperty schieduled, and who fixes the assessed valuation cf real estate. upen which the tax bills are made eut. .That official aIse sends eut the personal property sched- ules te each person be thinks lives iii the.district, and if ne schedule is re- turiied he files bis -estimate-' cf how much that persen owns. Througb bis local knowledge. the township assessor cati be more accurate ini tbe sending eut of scbedules and.making est imates wvbere ne returns are filed, se tbat there will, be ne instances-such as have occurred recently-ef tax buils being sent te persens wbe have been dead fer sotre time, or te corporations wvhich have-ceased deing business and whichi own ne property at aIl. Want Mine Extension Further, the time.during which local assessors have the tax schedules bea- f ore them should be extended. At pres._ ent, they have only a f ew weeks,, and the necessity for receiving many.sched- ules cf personal property in this time makes it impossible te explain te in- dividuals who may need information just what should be done about their schedules. The time allowed for tht receipt cf schedules should be lengthen- ed, so that the township assessor will be able te talk over with each puzzled taxpayer the matters that cause. him trouble, te enable the taxpayer te file a fair schedule and te become convinced as te its fairness. Accuracy Important The matter cf accuracy in setting assessed values is important te taxing bodies, such as cities, park districts, school districts, etc., as welî as te the taxpayers. Muncipalities, excepting for a f ew special items, levy a lump suir for general, corporate' purposes. The county clerk then spreads the total amount se levied against the total as- sessed value of real and personal prop- erty as it is certified te him, and the percentage cf tax is fixed at a rate te return the f ull amount asked. When- ever the assessment is f aulty in setting Up non-existent property, in gressly overvaluing property, or in making a charge against a person Who is dead or who no longer lives in the district, the result is a smaller return in taxes. Consequently,, the municipality concern- ed fails te receive the full amount ef revenue, anticipated, se that its bills must go unpaid and interest on its outstanding obligations. piles up. Since the taxing methods extant ini Illinois are net ataIl satisfactery, ýand since the situation of local governments in Cook coumty is aggravated by the existing -twýo-year delay in the receipt of taxes,. it is imiportant that the tax- ing machinery- as -it exists now- function with' the utmest possible efficiency. The first step in 'the collec- tion of tax es is that in which the as- sessors are concerned-the fixing of the assessed value of taxable property. The Suburban Area and Country Towns Association of Cook county, in cenjunction with the Cook Ceunty Country Towns Assessors association is working on legislation te be sub- mitted at the next session of the legis- lature to improve the present methods of fixing this value. Would Avoid "Deadheads» Summarized, this lergisiatien will make the township assessor an actual, independent assessor cf property whose determination of the value of property within bis district will be subject to review by the County Board cf Tax Appeals. In this way, the assessments will be more accurate, as to both real and personal property; "deadhead" as- sessments against non-existent persons or property will be te a great extent eliminated, and the taxpayer will have a local official te whom he can carry, NORTH SHORE ART LEAGUE CLASSES bMonday......... Sculpture and Art History Tucsdav and Wednesday ...Lif e Painting wednesday, Thursday Nights. .Lif e Painting Thursday ................ Menbers' Day Friday .. .... *......... Landscape Painting Saturday ........ junior and Aduit Painting studio: Communlty Rosse, Winnetka. Fer MIl Information call iIn. 8US bis conmplaints or questions with au assurance of courteous -and fair truSt- ment. U. 0OF W. ALUMNAE MEET Kate Whitney Curtis wîll address her 'fellow alumnae >in the Univeruity of Wisconsin Alumna club on the subi ect, "The Lord Will Provide," at the opening meeting Saturday, Octo- ber 6, at 12:45 in the Top o' the Republic tea room. Mrs. Curtis is physical education instructor in the Manly high school in Chicago and a former staff member of the Univer- sityof Chicago, Chicago Normal,col- lege, and Crane junior college. Mrs. ReIf UllestaA, president, Will preside at the meeting'. M4r. and Mrs. Lorenzo Dilks, who have leased their Kenilworth home, left Saturday to spend the winter in Daytona Beach, Fia. EFhbA Md Sale of RARE ANTIQUE PAINTINOS including many old masters of the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. A mest interesting portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Sir Thomas Lawrençe is in the col- lection. ExIsibit Open& Fridmy Open Evenings and Sunday OLD ENGLAND ANTIQUE 'SHOP Chimneys Building Winnetka _______________________________ 'Il-______________________________ Foreign Reception Guaran teed With the 9lQw 1935 9,uuuu Liberal Allowance for Your Old Radio. No money down buys a brand n.w 1935 qumw I ubes GRUNOW RADIO. Heres your opporfunity to NO MONEBY DOWN. own the latest Grunow Radio with foreign reception guaranteed. Gets England, Franc., Spain and other foreign stations as welI as coast-to-coast, reception. Beautiful.hnd-rubb.d walnut console. S Get Reudy for th 'e World's' Series! Football, too1 Wil Soon se on the Air Corne in for FREE - Ripley Booki Ineluding com- plt radio log, Igluigdetalci lu- formation on short wayo .receptioi. .N1o obligation inurred.. .Special Netw, 1935 Grunow $1.-9 with Tubjes derftil new mon- tel model. Lim- i fe d .number. Corne .arlyt NO0 MONEY DOWN. éther Nou Grunows UP te $149,50 WJEOL TS.EVANSTON "q -1-grmu*mm u sm vvama on FoR ms-r -R-P- 1100 wmu w~--- - - I onm Devis 5trUff ilà, 11 ý 1 october 4, 1934, M-- M 0 N E Y D In Our Radio Headquarters VILMETTE LIFE -THE BEST IbTulmiL in rvoLimmp a %#lm lr%.Pmm