We're getting taxed out of St. Charles

The Herald reports that St. Charles School District just had an evaluation of the current elementary schools in the district and found, "Voila," that 12 need extensive work or if over 60 percent of the value of replacement, then complete demolition and rebuilding. Price tag to start $116 million.

What do we get for this, more planning rooms for teachers and security systems? I have been in all these schools recently, and Lincoln School, targeted for demo, recently had an addition put on it! Go look at these schools.

I'll bet the teachers are willing to give up all raises for the next 10 years in order for taxpayers to try to pay for this!

The St. Charles area seems to have management on many levels that do not understand the state of the economy. Hundreds of jobs are lost, gas increases reflect in everything we buy!

DuPage County across the board has lowered property values acknowledging a minimum of 10 percent fall in home values, Campton Township gives a 7.5 percent reduction across the board for its property owners. But St. Charles Township increased property values approximately 10 percent in many areas even with the greatest average of homes being sold at flat even values or lower considerably. How could this be?

Try to sell something in St. Charles right now! Realtors and news commentators say depression, St. Charles assessors don't get it. There are auction signs all over this past summer, just like everywhere else! Oh, and did you know that those sacrificed sales or short sales do not get placed in the mix for evaluating property values in St. Charles?

Your own editorial comments in the recent past addressed the assessors to consider these facts; but, from what we hear about next year's values for our real estate taxes, they choose to ignore all common sense and to favor every option to hold and increase values.

How much can the people of St. Charles and St. Charles Township give? Few, if any, are realizing increased incomes to even maintain or catch up with these situations.

Linda Jean

St. Charles