The city charter of 1846 created the City Assessor. Initially these were called Ward
Assessors and were responsible for making real estate and personal property
assessments in each of the four original wards. The taxes collected were turned over
to the City Treasurers’ Department where a detailed account book was kept for each
ward. Today the Assessor's Office is overseen by a commissioner who is appointed by
the Mayor. The Assessor's Office uniformly finds, lists, and values all taxable
property as well as provides information to the public and other city
departments.
