Despite increase of appeals, assessor confident system worked
The books are closed on the review of the 2007 Kane County property-tax assessment.
And owners of nearly 1,600 properties complained about increases and mistakes, an amount almost double from last year.
But county Supervisor of Assessments Mark Armstrong is confident the assessment and appeal system worked for taxpayers.
Armstrong sent the certified copy of the tax year 2007 assessments to the county clerk Tuesday. The clerk then calculates the property taxes owed, and the county treasurer sends out the tax bills. The treasurer aims to send bills out by May 1.
Armstrong said the number of complaints filed didn't surprise him, for two reasons.
"Considering that it was a general reassessment year ... I was actually expecting more," he said.
In a general reassessment, which is done every four years, every property is reassessed. So people whose property hasn't been assessed in three years might be in for a shock.
It's also the first year that he posted the appeals forms on the county Web site. Previously, a taxpayer had to write to the office to get a copy of the form, or visit the Kane County Government Center in Geneva.
Of the 1,599 considered by the Board of Review, 696 were on residential parcels containing one to four dwelling units. And of those, 59 percent received a reduction. That's the same percentage as the 2006 tax year, Armstrong said. The median reduction was $11,168 of assessed valuation.
"The system does work," he said.
For the rest of the properties, including farmland and commercial, 37 percent got a reduction. "The homeowners had a much better time before the board," Armstrong said.
The Board of Review looks for accuracy in the property's description (for example, if an assessor incorrectly thinks you have a finished basement), and uniformity in comparison to other properties in your neighborhood. It might also take into account any appraisals you have had done.
"I do not know that anything is really terribly out of line," he said.
Nobody in Virgil or Kaneville townships filed a complaint. While each are large townships, with 21,851 acres and 22,054 respectively, they only have a total of 2,398 parcels, with large rural areas. In contrast Geneva Township, the smallest of the 16 townships with 4,975 acres, has 11,331 parcels.
Technically, the board of review was supposed to have ended Dec. 31. But township assessors turn their books in late, Armstrong said, to make sure as many new parcels as possible get on the rolls. And some, such as Rutland, haven't added staff to their assessor's offices, even though they are dealing with tremendous growth due to new subdivisions.
Tax bills go out May 1. If the county sends out tax bills late, tax receipts are then late, which means taxing bodies might end up borrowing money to get by until they get their checks. This, of course, costs interest.
Armstrong understands homeowners' frustrations, as they hear reports everyday about slumping home sales and rising foreclosures. The 2007 tax year assessment is a snapshot of the value of properties as of Jan. 1, 2007, and takes into account sales prices in 2004, 2005 and 2006. In January 2007, the Illinois Association of Realtors reported that the median sales price was the same as it had been the year before, at $200,000. For January 2008, the median home price had declined 5.3 percent, the Realtors said.