Tax appeals merely boost county payroll

John Lawson, Schaumburg Township assessor, said in the Daily Herald that he had to call the police to handle crowds angry over their property taxes. At the end of the article he blamed property owners for not attending seminars on how to appeal taxes.

Cook County already was saying they had close to half a million appeals, and that had some impact on the raising and delaying of tax bills this year. I also read that when one taxed property gets lowered, another gets raised.

Why are we being encouraged to appeal if it just means our neighbor's homes will be increased, thus pushing those neighbors to appeal the next time? If an appeal results in a lower assessment, why does that mean another home is suddenly worth more to make up for the lost tax money? Is this unfair cycle just to keep workers in the assessor's office on the payroll? So appeal, appeal, appeal as Crook County surely isn't coming out the loser we still are.

Carol Skrobak

Arlington Heights