Letter:Two detrimental forms of 'idling'

Great report from Jenny Whidden on vehicle idling. I always thought idling was just a waste of gas, not the environmental impact reported.

In my opinion, idling is to some extent the result of bad timing of traffic signals and speed limits. If better coordinated, they would reduce some idling, improve traffic flow, and maybe reduce speeding.

One big traffic-light offender is the introduction of new signals to appease some shopping center or subdivision. How many times have scores of cars on a main road been required to stop to let one vehicle turn left off a side road? Right turn on red, traffic circles and blinking yellow left turn signals are signs of improvement.

Speaking of idling. I think that is what is happening at the Cook County Assessor's Office. I submitted my annual appeal months ago detailing comparable properties in my neighborhood whose assessments were lower than mine, several over 13% lower. The annual, standard Fritz Kaegi response is that they analyzed my "assessment appeal and supporting documentation and determined the assessed valuation should remain as originally proposed."

Really. Now I go on to submit another appeal to the Cook County Board of Review, which may or may not see the value in my request. I attended a Kaegi town hall a few years ago and pointed out that in many neighborhoods (like mine) there are only a few home models, so why so many different assessments? I was handed off to a staffer who, after a few emails, basically sent me the same form letter.

The Cook County assessment process makes no sense unless you consider how many county staffers and politicians it keeps employed ... at idle.

Joe Celosky

Hoffman Estates