Letter: 'Fair share' and the assessment process

We hear that term often these days. The 1% should pay their fair share. Or, as the May 4 Daily Herald article on the reassessment of Arlington Park with the Bears' statement saying, "We want to pay our fair share ..."

And they should, like all of us, but that is not my point here. Rather it is the Cook County assessment/appeal process, which in my view does not support everyone paying their fair share.

Every year I get my home assessment, which usually increases due to some process that considers the current value, that's good - right. I also look at my assessment based on comparable properties (same house as mine). In my neighborhood there are about five different models which means about 20% should be comparable, but they are not, some are thousands of dollars different.

The appeal process is cumbersome. There is a limited window to appeal and a local assessor representative once told me, "the Assessor's Office never approves your first appeal," you have to appeal your denied appeal. Then they may not approve the second and you have to resubmit to the Board of Review, which again has a window.

Each denial comes in a letter which tells you the next step to appeal, which usually has to be within X days from the date of letter. Sometimes you strike gold and get your assessment reduced, but looking at the comparable properties, you are still assessed higher.

And the cycle goes on and on instead of equalizing assessed values of comparable properties and then focusing on the big ones like Arlington Park. I smiled at Review Commissioner Steele's comment that Arlington will take more time and "We give the same weight and consideration to everyone." LOL

Joe Celosky

Hoffman Estates