Council Proceedings: August 1, 1902

The Honorable Mayor and City Council of the City of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas.

Gentlemen:-

Your petitioners, A. & L. August would with respect represent to your Honorable Body that they rendered to the City Assessor and Collector of Texas of the City of Fort Worth all personal property belonging to them in said City, including their stock of merchandise, for the year 1901, and the ag gregate value of the same as rendered and assessed was $18,500, which was a fair cash value of said property. That they had no cash on hand on the first January of said year.

That some time after their said property had been rendered as aforesaid, they received a notice to appear before the Board of Equalization and show why the values in said rendition should not be raised. Your petitioners appeared before the said Board and discussed the valuation of said property and left, thinking the Board of Equalization was satisfied with their original assessment, and that the same would stand.

That there was no evidence offered to show that said property was not rendered for fair value.

That about two or three months since petitioners called to pay their taxes on said property for said year and found to their astonishment that the said Board of Equalization had raised the value of said property from $18,500, as originally assessed, to $25,000, and in addition assessed petitioners for $2500.00 cash which they did not have on the first day of January, 1901.

Wherefore, petitioners pray your Honorable Body that they be permitted to pay their said taxes on the original assessment,and that the City Collector be instructed to issue receipt upon said taxes upon payment of same based on the original assessment.

A & L August

[column 1] We yr finance Com mittee recommend that petitioners secure a statement from Board of Equalization that a mistake was made in their assessment and furnish us with a statement of their bank account at that time.

J. F. Henderson Q. T. Moreland

FILED 7/31 1902 Jno T. Montgomery City Secretary [/column 1]

[column 2] Petition

27

FILED 7/18 1902 Jno T. Montgomery City Secretary [column 2]

July 18, 1902.

To the Honorable Mayor and City Council of Fort Worth, Texas

This is an application for the remission by the city of certain taxes, and your petitioners with respect show:

That heretofore on March 26, 1895 they dedicated to the City of Fort Worth a plat of ground in Block 6, Field-Welsh Addition 128 by 174 feet in size known as the Terrell place, by deed recorded in Volume 63, page 155 Deed Records of Tarrant County, Texas, for use as a park conditioned that said city should place a water main to and gravel and grade streets around same by January 1, 1900 which deed is attached hereto & hereof made a part. That said dedication was made in good faith and with the full belief and expectation that before said January 1, 1900 the city of Fort Worth would take advantage of said proposition and would have complied with the conditions thereof and accepted said tract as a park. That said city did not comply with said conditions in any respect but neglected to accept said dedication, and in June 1902 released all its rights in said land and confirmed the title thereto in your petitioners. That since said January 1, 1900 and for said year and 1901 your petitioners have paid taxes on said land to the city.

Wherefore your petitioner respectfully asks in asmuchas said city had the right to obtain the title to said property from March 26, 1895 to January 1, 1900 by complying with the simple terms of said dedication but failed to do so; and inasmuchas your petitioners had a right to expect and did expect that on account of the small cost which would have to be incurred by the city in performing said condition, and on account of the desirability of said property as a park, that said city would accept said tract and would perform such conditions by said January 1, that said taxes for the years 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899 as shown by statement of the Tax Collector attached hereto should be fully remitted by said city. That the heavily accrued interests and costs as shown by said tax list has occurred without fault of the petitioners, as assessed by "Unknown", and that taxes for said years could not have been paid by petitioners since the title to said land was conditionally in the city of Fort Worth and it appears only just right that taxes levied for those years should be remited.

Respectfully John L. Terrell for himself and for J. C. Terrell, AW Terrell, Mary V. Terrell, Sue Turrell Hawley & Joe C. Terrell Goode

[handwritten calcultions] 7 3.50 1.75 ------- 12.25 [/handwritten calculations]

G. H. DAY CITY TAX COLLECTOR.

OFFICE OF City Tax Collector of Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth, Texas 7-2 1902

J. L. Terrell

________________ _________: In compliance with your request of ____________________ the following information in relation to lands described is furnished from the records of this office.

DESCRIPTION OF LANDS.

State of Texas County of Tarrant

This plat represents Terrell's subdivision of Block No. 6 of Williams Welch survey of 320 acres of land situated in said State and County. We hereby donate to the City of Fort Worth, Texas as for the use of the public all the streets and alleys designated on this plat. We also donate to the said City for the use of the public subject to the conditions & limitations to be done and observed by said City as herein specified. The block on this plat called Terrell Place being 128 x 174 feet in size for a park only, which place shall never be built upon but which may be fenced in beautified by planting of trees, the erection of fountains and the like thereon. This plat is dedicated to the City for the use of the public only on condition that said City shall at its own expense grade and and gravel the streets around said place and shall put a water main thereto by the first day of January 1900 A.D. and should said City ever build upon said place or fail to put a water main thereto by January 1st 1900 A.D. or fail to grade and gravel the street around the said place in said Block No. 6 by said date then said place 128 x 174 feet shall revert to the owner by his own heirs and assigns as of our first estate, in testimony whereof witness our hands this 26 day of March 1895, T. L. Terrell, for himself & as Executor of the last will of Mary V. Terrelll, died. Sue A. Terrell John L. Terrell

[image: Plat of Terrell Place]

State of Texas County of Tarrant

Before me J. C. Tenelly Notary Public in & for Tarrant County Texas, on this day personally appeared J. C. Terrell John L. Terrell and Sue A. Terrell known to me to be the persons whose names are subscribed to this foregoing instrument - in writing and acknowledged to me thqt they executed the same for the purpose therein expressed and in the capacity therein stated. Given under my hand & seal of office this 26th day of March 1895.

J. C. Terrell Jr. Notary Public In & for Tarrant County, Texas

[left margin] Received and Filed in Record this the 27 day of Mch A. D. 1895 at 10:00 o'clock A. M. Jno. P. King [blurred line on stamp] $2.50 Due