Hey, county is only a portion of tax bill

On Feb. 27, I received an email from the Lauzen campaign announcing a "free reception" sponsored by Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen and two other candidates.

The urgent phrasing of the free reception is "AND VOTE To Keep Kane County Property Taxes FROZEN." The phrase appears prominently in two places in the email.

I asked several neighbors how they interpreted that statement and the unanimous reply was that Lauzen would continue to freeze our property taxes. I asked, "You mean the whole property tax bill?" The answer: "That's what it says!"

My property tax bill contains 16 items including local school districts and their pensions, community college and their pensions, local police, local fire districts, park districts, libraries, etc. Chris Lauzen does not have the statutory authority over any of the above tax categories. He has sway over two: Kane County government and the cost of its pensions.

The portion of my Kane County tax bill over which Lauzen has responsibility amounts to 5 percent. That means Lauzen will freeze one nickel for every dollar of total property tax. To say he is going to " … Keep Kane County Property Taxes FROZEN" is exceedingly misleading.

I believe Chris Lauzen owes everyone who votes in Kane County a clarification of his campaign's slogan. If he is sincere about Priority No. 3 on his campaign website, "Honest, Competent Administration through innovation and Austerity," he should issue a news release explaining that he can only freeze the county board's levy. The levy is term given to the amount the county board budgets for spending each year. One nickel on every buck, that's it!

Craig Conn

St. Charles