Show IRRIGATION DISTRICT TAXES Shall Interest on n Delinquent T Taxes axes go to o othe the District or ot Shall the County get the Benefit l' l More l than a dozen dozell land owners own owners own own- ers ers in the Upper Blue Bench Irrigation district have hae still stilt to I pay their tax of for the year 1911 HUt If any anyone one of them i went to the County Treasurers Treasurer's office th this is week to clear up th the I arrears he would have to payas pay Py payas as follows Principal Certificate ate of sale Advertising Advertising- 25 Certificate of redemption 50 pO Interest at Ht 12 per cent Of this the principal would of course go to the dis dis- dis The next t three re items for expenses colle collecting t ng the tax are quite properly paid into the county county county coun coun- ty treasury But what should I be be- bedone done with the cash interest interest interest in in- terest In Wasatch county there was no question All such interest money was promptly paid over into the county funds Was the the irrigation district law aw en enacted with the view of encouraging and assisting the construction of irrigation canals Or was it passed for the purpose of increasing by m means ans t the e sum um total of taxes taken from the community and put into the county treasuries To put the cash in the above instance into the county would be 1 an underhanded way of the county's county taking under color of law 1935 outright from the land owners of the clis collectively and 2 a a. clumsy method of punishing the unfortunate delinquent by tak talt- taking taking ing another 1935 from him and paying it to the county for the inconvenience he has caused the irrigation district by bylis his his lis tardiness is a strong word It should never be used unless it is justified Its common common common com com- mon meaning is either Taking something that rightfully belongs belongs be- be longs to somebody else ting something for nothing We think both these definitions come dangerously near being fulfilled in the matter under discussion dis dis- The rhe irrigation district tax taic t p mentioned above of to each land owner was levied in order to pay payoff off and redeem that particular land owners owner's share of the warrants issued by the district district district dis dis- dis- dis I during 1911 to defray the t e operating expenses o of tl the e district dis- dis tract during that year I ILe I Let Le us suppose a warrant of had been given in 1911 to an engineer for his services s surveying th the canal irr irrigating gating the district lands and that as soon as the delinquent land and owner owner owner own own- er mentioned above had settled with the county treasurer the engineer stepped up and ed his warrant warrant of The treasurer would absentmindedly push toward him the just paid by the delinquent land owner But the engineer would say you you also owe me 1935 interest at 6 per cent that t i is gu clue on op t the e warr warrant nt I J I am very sorry the treasurer would answer Itis It Itis Itis is true I have just collected twice 1935 interest from the l land landowner landowner md owner but that goes to the county not the district Excuse my mistake th there re is not enough money in the district treasury to redeem your warrant warr n now Next year the district will viII levy another tax and it will be made larger than it itt otherwise would so as to include the 19 1935 35 interest due you Is riot the county treading very close to grafting 1935 from the collective land owners of the irrigation district by t this is I transaction transaction transaction tran tran- Is not the county get get- getting getting ting something that rightfully belongs to somebody elso 1 Then the other 1935 lQ rr The e district law in iQ section 21 provi provides es that the County treasurer shall receive as his sole compensation for the the collection collection of such taxes such amount as the board of directors may allow to tobe tobe tobe be not less than 2500 2500 or more than per pel year year Hence itis itis it itis is manifest no part of the second 1935 is to pay the county treasurer treasurer treasurer treas treas- for his work Is not the in cash fees paid into the county treasury ample compensation compensation I for the three of four hours e extra tra work done by the assessor in assessing a all I the lands rands within the irr irrigation gati n district In n other words does not the irrigation for Jor all work d district pay liberally liberally for d done me for it by the county officials and is not the count county y by taking t the e s second 1935 l getting i at ting something some some- thing got for nothing 1 Is there any good reason in inlaw l law aw w or in justice that the new pew Duchesne county officials should not start right by holding that the Interest paid on delinquent irrigation district ct taxes xe should be turned over to the dis- dis trice I |