556 CITY OF BALTIMORE. [ART. 4.

APPEAL TAX COURT.

1874, ch. 483. 1888, ch. 98, sec. 23.

842. The mayor and city council of Baltimore shall annually
appoint a board to consist of at least three persons, to be styled
the appeal tax court, who shall meet from time to time, for the
purpose of hearing appeals and making transfers and correcting
the accounts of assessable property charged to taxpayers, and the
assessment thereof; said number of judges may be increased if in
the judgment of the mayor and city council such increase be
requisite; the said mayor and city council may also appoint such
number of assessors as they may deem necessary in investigating
and ascertaining all omitted property, and assessing and returning
the same to the appeal tax court.

1880, ch. 230.

843. Before increasing the assessment of any property which
has been heretofore assessed, or adding any new property not
valued and returned to them by the proper assessor or collector,
it shall be the duty of the county commissioners or appeal tax
court, as the case may be, to notify the owner of such property
by written or printed summons, containing such interrogatories
in regard to such property as they may require to be answered
on oath, and appointing a certain day for such owner to answer
such interrogatories, either orally or in writing, and make such
statement, or present such proof as he may desire in the prem-
ises; and such notice shall be served on such owner or left at his
place of abode at least five days before the day of hearing
appointed in such summons; and such owner may answer such
interrogatories contained in such summons, and may appear on
such return day and answer the same under oath, orally, before
such county commissigners or appeal tax court, and may present
such testimony as he may desire and such county commissioners
or appeal tax court may think necessary and proper to be heard;
and in case such owner, after being summoned, shall fail to
answer in writing on oath, or to appear and answer orally such
interrogatories, such county commissioners or appeal tax court,
after such return day has passed, may proceed to re-value and
re-assess such property, or add such new property, according to
their best judgment and information in the premises; but no such