Lauzen might make sense of tax snafu

The assessment process in Rutland Township in Kane County continues to be a joke. The reason is the wrong people in the wrong position, starting with Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay, who appointed Mark Armstrong supervisor of assessments, to Treasurer David Rickert and last, Janet Siers, the Rutland Township assessor.

The key words that describe their failure are lack of oversight, poor communications and no common sense. They blame last year’s mess on Grafton Township. The 2.7 percent levy by School District 158 became 14 percent and the fire department became 20 percent. No one noticed. Must be the new math.

Poor choices were made by Rutland and Grafton townships. Example, my model on the same street one block away in Grafton paid $325 less in school taxes in 2010 than 2009 while I paid $273 more, a difference of $598.

Our officials will offer lip service and cite this law and that law. If they had any sense, they would admit that market value has dropped much more than the 4.7 percent we received last year. Can you wait for next year?

Chris Lauzen is running for Kane County Board chairman. He told me that he would propose a tax freeze and attempt to make sense of the assessment process. I will give him a chance.

John Mayerhofer

Huntley