Farm Bureau Gets $100,000 Tax 

 Cut For Cook County Farmers 



"LJOW the Cook County Farm Bu- 

 reau aided by the lAA has vir- 

 tually saved the farmers of this county 

 about $100,000 in taxes each year for 

 the next quadrennial period in the face 

 of generally advancing assessments was 

 recently disclosed in a report by the 

 Farm Bureau tax committee. 



Cook County presents a peculiar 

 situation. It has a large surburban area. 

 Most of its values in real estate are 

 represented by town lots and city 

 property. Some farm lands have a 

 speculative value for possible subdi- 

 vision purposes but this is difficult to 

 estimate in figuring assessments. Farm 

 property holds an inconspicuous place 

 in this county, therefore, anything that 

 comes to farmers in the way of tax 

 assessment adjustments must represent 

 some good work on the part of farm- 

 er's representatives. 



In the first place, local assessors have 

 cooperated with the Farm Bureau al- 

 most 100% in the selection of Town- 

 ship Farm Bureau Tax Committees to 

 place valuations upon farm lands. 

 These Committees tried to be fair in 

 placing of their valuations and they 

 have not been selfish about it. Valua- 

 tions of their own lands have been 

 substantially in line with the sur- 

 rounding farms. These men have ex- 

 ercised good judgment in placing their 

 va-luations at a point that would not 

 be so low as to be rejected. The first 

 four townships to submit valuations to 

 the Assessor's office had a difficult 

 job to perform. The tendency for tax 

 bodies is to constantly raise values. In 

 this case farmers were asking for a cut. 



Four years ago the Farm Bureau 

 succeeded in securing a drastic reduc- 

 tion in the assessed valuations of farm 

 lands in Cook County, averaging about 

 $85 per acre. In'making this drastic 

 reduction some communities received 

 a larger proportion of the reduction 

 than others. It was not equal between 

 farms and there was a feeling on the 

 part of some city real estate owners 

 that the county had made too large a 

 reduction on its farm lands. 



Committee Compares Results 

 After these four townships had been 

 revalued, the Farm Bureau Tax Com- 

 mittee made a more thorough studv 

 of valuations in each. It was concluded 

 that the level of assessments was still 

 running above the average county per- 

 centage (37%) of the fair cash sale 



The Cook County Farm Bureau's tax 

 record for the past four years is as 

 follows: 



1935 — Secured an average of $85 

 per acre reduction on assessments. 



1939 — (a) — Secured 10% cut on 

 new quadrennial assessed valuation 

 on strictly farm real estate. 



(b) — Worked on clarification 

 of sales tax collections for vegetable 

 farmers. 



(c) — Worked to secure 

 change of classification of nursery 

 stock for taxing purposes. 



(d) — Leading way for com- 

 plete tox reform. 



my opinion. Any action that is taken 

 we want to apply to all farmers of the 

 county whether they are Farm Bureau 

 members or non-members. Neither is 

 any member of this Committee asking 

 for any particular personal favors. The 

 Farm Bureau feels very kindly towards 

 Assessor Clark's office for the drastic 

 reduction that was made from exces- 

 sively high values at the time of the 

 last quadrennial reassessment. 



Clark Orders 10% Assessment Cut 



After listening to the Committee, 

 Assessor Clark asked if he were to 

 order a 10% reduction in values for 

 the four townships that have come in 

 and instruct his deputies to hold their 

 future valuations of farm lands in line 

 with these levels, if such action would 

 be satisfactory to the Committee. 



Dan Bergman, Chairman of the 



COOK FARM BUREAU TAX COMMITTEE 

 Back row, left to right: Ezra McClaughry; Harvey Adair, president. 

 Farm Bureau; A. W. Sodman: D. A. Nietfeldt: front row, lohn C. Watson, 

 lAA tax director; Dan Bergman, chairman tax committee. Ben Schildgen 

 left early to catch train. 



value of these lands. These townships 

 were Barrington, Palatine, Wheeling 

 and Northfield. 



Assessor Clark Hears Committee 



The Farm Bureau Committee asked 

 an audience with County Assessor John 

 Clark. Assessor Clark granted this 

 audience and the greater part of the 

 afternoon of April 28 was taken up in 

 presenting the case to him. He asked 

 if the action of the Committee included 

 lands farmed by truck gardeners the 

 same as dairy and other farms. 



Harvey Adair, president of the Farm 

 Bureau, said, "Truck farmers and onion 

 set growers have tax problems just the 

 same as dairymen. They do more in- 

 tensive work on their lands and the 

 extra gross income they get per acre 

 comes from labor rather than land, in 



Committee, said: "We feel that such 

 action will bring farm real estate value 

 in line with actual cash sales and that 

 if this action is taken the Assessor's 

 office will have done everything that 

 is possible under the law to put farm 

 land valuations in line with the city 

 and villages of Cook County." 



Since this action was agreeable and 

 in line with the facts disclosed Assessor 

 Clark made the order for a 10% re- 

 duction to apply to farm real estate 

 only. 



John C. Watson, tax director of the 

 Illinois Agricultural Association, who 

 had guided the work of the Committee, 

 said, "Cook County has one of the 

 knottiest farm and city tax problems 

 of any county in the state. Under 

 existing circumstances I do not see how 



(Continued on piige 7. Col. 1) 



L A. A. RECORD 



