Something's wrong with assessments

As a resident of Lake County, Cuba Township, we just received our 2008 assessment notice.

To my surprise, it went up again. Do the Cuba Township assessor and the Lake County assessor even live on this planet?

Are they not paying attention to the rising cost of gas, food, utilities, sales taxes, clothing, and just about everything else in this world?

Are they not paying attention to the decline in the housing market where prices of homes are dropping, bankruptcy and home foreclosures are on the rise, and in general, the salability of homes currently on the market are at reduced rates?

The Cuba Township assessor recently published a letter in the township newsletter explaining how assessed valuations are done, but of course, not a word mentioned about how the local municipalities and townships were cutting down on costs.

To receive an increase in the assessed value at a time when this whole country is on the decline is nothing more than highway robbery.

Is it possible the assessors are working in conjunction with the municipalities and school districts to get them more money so they don't have to go to and be defeated in a referendum?

What's wrong with cutting down on expenditures by governments just as the people have to cut down on costs when prices rise?

Residents have 30 days to protest their assessed values. I urge residents to do a little homework and file the necessary complaint forms by the due date and give these assessors a way to earn their keep.

We need to send a hard message to the Lake County and local assessors that enough is enough.

The assessors should stop living in la-la land and come down to earth and pay attention to what is really going on.

Carol A. Schubert

Barrington