In the September 20, 2012 issue of the Sun Day, I wrote a column entitled âTaxation without representation.â In that article I expressed particular concern over the exorbitant amount of property taxes we pay in support of School District 158.
I took issue with the fact that, as residents of Sun City, we are unable to use the school system due to our adult community covenant prohibiting residents under the age of 19. Thus, we pay taxes on resources from which we can derive no benefit. The article raised suggestions on how such taxes could be mitigated by ârefundingâ or âredistributingâ some of the funds back to Sun City residents via âHuntley Bucksâ (vouchers that could be spent in Huntley commercial establishments).
The overall message I tried to convey in that article is that Sun City residents, for the most part, live on fixed incomes and, especially during trying economic times, need relief from such unfair taxes.
I am sure you have received your 2013 property tax bill by now. Many of us had filed appeals in 2012 to obtain equity adjustments on the assessed value of our properties. In our case, we worked closely with the Rutland Township assessor to obtain an adjustment to the assessed value of our property.
After researching comparable properties and pleading our case, the assessor saw fit to recommend a downward adjustment to our assessed value. We looked forward to a lower bill in 2013.
To our surprise, the property tax rate that is applied to the assessed value for Kane County increased 12.8 percent from 2012 to 2013. In spite of our adjusted assessed value, the net result was an increase in our property taxes in 2013 over 2012. Again, the largest portion of the tax was allocated to School District 158 and School District pensions (62 percent of the total tax). The increase in the tax rate of 12.8 percent is unbelievable. We moved to Sun City in 2006 and have seen the property tax rate increase 28 percent since then.
We all had to tighten our belts in these trying times. Where is the belt tightening in managing the resources our taxes support? Let me be clear. We have no problem paying taxes for village services, the fire and police departments, the park district, the library, or McHenry College. We are very satisfied with these and happy to pay our fair share.
To tax us for education resources that we are not able to utilize, and then slap an increase on it, is preposterous. Our elected representatives need to step up to the plate and be held fiscally responsible. If they cannot reduce our tax burden (the most significant portion of which is school tax), then we should set up our own school district within Sun City to fund our education. We would be getting something in return for our tax dollars and at the same time cut our property tax bill in half.
⢠Send your questions and ideas to: Sun Day, Frugal Forum Column, P.O. Box 7505, Algonquin, IL 60102, or, by email to: thefrugalforum@gmail.com.
