That Kane Co. tax bill may get your blood boiling

Home sales are down. The number of new Kane County residents is down. The amount of new homes being built is down. The quantity of new businesses opening is down. The value of your home may even be down.

But your property tax bill is up.

Perhaps more than ever before, the latest round of property tax bills is a lesson in how, no matter what's happening, government always gets its money.

Residents in Kane County will feel, on average, about a 3 percent increase in their property taxes payable June 1 and Sept. 1.

How can this be, you say? The answer mostly goes back to the fact that even though most everything from the thickness of wallets to the waiting times at your local restaurant is down, the cost of taxing bodies providing their services is up.

"I don't blame people for being mad about the taxes they pay," Kane County Assessor Mark Armstrong said. "Sometimes I get mad about it, too. The fact is, in general, local governments did not decrease their tax levies. So maybe your property value went down. But does that mean it cost less to fight fires now? Probably not."

Indeed, some of the casualties of the slow economy actually make it more likely that your tax bill increased. For instance, Armstrong said new businesses opening in a community is great for taxpayers for two reasons. First, they don't necessarily put more kids in the school system, and about two-thirds of property tax money goes to local schools. Second, they add a new taxpaying body to the pool of taxpayers, diluting the amount of taxes homeowners must pay to fund school and government operations.

The problem is there isn't much new business growth, or even new residential growth, in a poor economy. So the pool of taxpayers stays the same while the costs for taxing bodies to provide services increases, usually either through higher salary burdens or inflated prices for goods and materials.

So why does it feel like your property tax is even more of a burden than it was before? Local taxpayers are fish in a pool that's stopped growing, Armstrong said.

"The amount of new property coming onto the tax roll is the lowest it's been since we started tracking it in 1991," Armstrong said.

<p class="factboxheadblack">First installment due June 1</p>

<p class="News">Installments for Kane County property tax bills are due June 1 and Sept. 1. Taxpayers can go to <a href="http://kanecountytreasurer.org" target="new">kanecountytreasurer.org</a> to view current tax information and print out duplicate bills.</p>

<p class="News">People can mail their payment to the treasurer's office in the envelope provided, at a designated bank in Kane County, or in person from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays at the Treasurer David Rickert's office, 719 Batavia Ave., Geneva. There is also a payment drop box available 24 hours a day behind Building A at the Government Center on Batavia Avenue.</p>

<p class="News">People can also pay online by credit card or E-check, and there is a convenience fee for each service.</p>

<p class="News">For more information, call Rickert's office at (630) 232-3565.</p>