No help in tax dispute

My husband and I purchased a builder’s model in the Blackberry Creek subdivision in Elburn back in June 2010. Because the home had not previously been titled, real estate taxes had not yet been accurately assessed. However, prior to signing the contract, I did contact the Kane County to get an estimated amount.

When our tax bill came this past summer, we were in shock. The actual taxes were $4,000 more than the estimate we received. We met with the township assessor Uwe Rotter, armed with comps, but got little satisfaction. We went before the Kane County Tax Board, which misplaced the comps we supplied, but again, we received little consolation.

The tax “hearing” process in Kane County is a joke. It’s no wonder more people do not consider moving out to the Village of Elburn in Blackberry Township. The real estate taxes are too high.

By the way, I should mention that the Blackberry Township Assessor Uwe Rotter, as well as nearly 900 others, did receive $3,000 bonuses for doing the right job in 2012. The right job for whom? Do you know what I would get if I didn’t do the right job? Fired!

The “performance stipend” costs Illinois taxpayers upward of $650,000 a year. Now I know why my taxes are so high. So when local election time comes around again in Kane County and Mr. Rotter and the Kane County Tax Board are looking for my support, they will get as much as they gave my husband and me — none.

Leslie Doyle

Elburn