Show NO ABATEMENT T BE DE The County Board of Equalization Equaliza-tion Denies the Petition WARRANTS WILL PAY TAXES County Attorney Murphy Says the Collector Must Accept Them Selectman Morris Is Anxious to CarryOut Carry-Out the Will of the People In a Year the County Will Be 8170000 in Debt The decision of the county board of equalization on the petition of a large number of tax payers for a reduction of the county assessed valuation of property prop-erty in the city by 2 per cent was arrived ar-rived at yesterday afternoon and was unfavorable un-favorable to the petitioners The vote of the board was Bamberger and Morris for reduction and Blair Cahoon and Heiss against it At the hour of 2 oclock the time fixed for rendering a decision on the matter the county court room was well filled with tax payers and others interested in the matter Selectman Bamberger opened the ball by making a motion that he petitionbe granted which failed to gain a second Jucgj Blair said that before the vote was taiien he desired to give some reasons rea-sons for the action he purposed taking in the matter He said tat the petitioners asked that the board reduce the valuation of property prop-erty in the city by 2 per cent on the ground that city property had fallen 2 per cent more than property in the rest of the county and therefore as a matter of equalization the assessment should be reduced by that amount The first duty was to consider the legal aspect of the demand Have we the board of equalization said his honor power to make this reduction I dont believe this court possesses the power but assuming that we have abundant power to reduce the valuation there are other reasons why it would not be wise expedient or prudent to exercise that power powerI is of the utmost importance that the improvements at present going on should be carried out This court a short time ago received an emphatic notice no-tice from the public of want of confidence dence since which we have not entered into any contracts for new improvements and have observed the most rigid economy econ-omy The city and county building there are few men will say should not be completed com-pleted and indeed would be a crime to leave it in its present unfinished state This was undertaken before the present pres-ent county court came into office but it must be continued although the present financial condition of the county is such that after every dollar of the taxes are collected there will be B debt on the county this time next year of from 160000 to 170000 and i the taxes are reduced 25 per cent the debt will be increased by that amount Th city is better off than the county because it has bonds to sell which when sold will replete the treasury but i a 2 per cent reduction is made in the taxes it will be next to impossible even for the city to sell those bonds and it will be unable to carry out the work which it has laudably undertaken and i the work goes on script would have to be issued which would be hawked about the streets at 65c on the dollar Again i these works are stopped what will become of the workingmen Stopping the work is placing a wolf at the door of ever workingman and the county will have to take care of all these people during the winter Consider well i it is prudent to grant the prayer of these petitioners0 I would rather bear the ills we have than fly to others we know not of I Selectman Gaboon moved thot the petition peti-tion be denied which was seconded by Councilman Holes Selectman Morris thought such a petition peti-tion came with very bad grace from the largest property owners In the city I was tantamount to decrying the value of their own property i fact on a par with the government bearing the silver market when it is the largest holder of that commodity com-modity The joint city and county building will require 5110000 frbm the county to finish it without furnishings The poor house needs to be enlarged it is now so full that the feet of tho inmates are sticking out of the windows There are at present 32000 outstanding warrants and in a year hence the debt of the county will be 170000 and i this reduction is made it will add 35000 to that indebtedness but this court is the representative of the people and these petitioners pe-titioners and i they want to stop the improvements arid leave the county in debt why let them do so and on that principle I shall vote that the reduction re-duction be made The vote was then taken and resulted as stated above rejecting re-jecting the petition |