Assessments should follow home values

Township assessors should immediately implement a plan to reduce property taxes for homeowners in DuPage County. The lower- and middle- classes have been hit hard with higher food costs, stagnant wages and tighter credit restrictions.

The financial security of many DuPage homeowners' is in serious jeopardy. Action is required!

Craig Dovel, DuPage County Supervisor of Assessment, must react to current market conditions and not evaluate property taxes based on sales data from the past three calendar years. The assessors by law are required to value homes based on the true market value. It is up to the taxing bodies to control their spending and make cutbacks to offset the downturn in local tax revenue.

We are experiencing unprecedented times of deflation and our local government bodies must respond to the needs of the people. With a thorough understanding of the necessities by our local government we can continue to maintain the quality of our infrastructure and help the people of DuPage County stay in their homes.

If the 390 taxing bodies collecting roughly $2.3 billion in property taxes do not get spending under control there will be significant increases in foreclosures, delinquent property taxes and assessment tax appeals.

DuPage Assessors have to realize that you cannot tax your way out of an economic downturn.

Potential solutions are:

• Provide an across the board 20 percent tax reduction,

• Initiate a fair tax assessment program based on real assessed value,

• Provide a property tax rebate,

• Implement a modified "American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act" providing a tax credit that can be paid over a 15 year period,

• Reduce and control spending immediately.

• Or look at restructuring employee responsibilities health care premiums and contributions to pension programs.

Ron Stacy

Bloomingdale