Kane County getting greedy with taxes

I recently received a notice, as did other homeowners in Campton Township, that my assessed value had been decreased 6.98 percent by our local township assessor, Alan Rottmann. Also, the notice indicated that Kane County reversed his reassessment and actually increased the assessed value an additional 3.09 percent.

On Sept. 30, the S&P/Case-Schiller home price index released its results. The Case-Schiller index is one of the most widely quoted and well regarded residential valuations services in the country. It indicated an average 16.35 percent drop in home prices from July 2007 to July 2008 in the Chicago area.

I believe Campton Hills has fared better than many neighborhoods, so Assessor Rottmann's estimate appears to be reasonable.

But in an era of dramatically falling real estate values, it is beyond imagination how Kane County officials can insist with a straight face that our real estate values have actually increased. It is obvious their need for tax revenues has taken precedence over the truth.

As election day nears, especially for my neighbors living in the village of Campton Hills, do you really want to give even more control back to Kane County? We obviously need a change in leadership at the county level, and we certainly don't need the county more involved with local affairs.

Ric Manser

Elburn