Abolish township assessors?

The following letter is from Bob Anderson of Wonder Lake. Bob's letter has already been published in the Northwest Herald and in The Woodstock Independent. Indiana has already done away with township assessors. Bob has written in other letters about the dwindling domain of Township Highway Commissioners and how few road miles they really supervise.

After you read Bob's letter, vote in the survey to the right.

"Accurate property assessment is an important issue to every property owner. One year ago, in a politically courageous move, state legislators in Indiana acted in the best interest of the taxpayer and voted to eliminate township assessors… passing that duty to county government. In the same way we could Advance Illinois…by eliminating the outdated, under-trained township assessors.

"Indiana has 1,008 township governments…Illinois has 1,433. The Indiana General Assembly accomplished their goal in this way. They passed a bill on July 1, 2008 shifting assessment duties from the township level to the county in 965 of their 1,008 townships. These were the state’s most sparsely populated townships.

"In the other 44 townships, the most populated, the General Assembly left it up to the voters to decide their township assessor’s fate. On the November 4, 2008 ballot, voters voted on this question “Should the assessing duties of the township be transferred to the county assessor?” Voters in 12 of the 44 townships voted to retain township assessors. Voters in the other 31 townships (72%) voted to transfer duties to the county assessor.

"Both the voters and the General Assembly did the right thing. They voted for change for the better. WHY?

"Findings from Indiana’s Property Tax Report :

“'According to the Indiana delegates, the principal defect in the assessing process was the elected township assessor…the elected township assessor is the most significant impediment to quality and fair property assessments.

'1) Levels of assessments relative to its market value were different in different townships.

'2) Individual property values varied within townships with large errors occurring among different properties in the same townships.

'3) There were systematic differences in assessments in townships within the same county.'

"Inconsistencies and differences in the township assessing practice is not surprising. Separate elected township assessors, each with different education, training and background will, of course, produce distinctively different assessing results. This is why the Indiana Association of Realtors was strongly supportive of this historical change. They knew from home listings that the township assessing system was flawed.

"If fair and equitable assessments are to be achieved, assessors should be certified real estate appraisers. They would be hired by the county and thereby not subject to political pressures. In this way a poor performer could be replaced by an achiever…unlike our present system where poor assessing is rewarded with a paycheck.

"Property owners in Illinois also deserve a 21st century assessment system. It will require change and change does not come easily. It takes commitment and great effort. Township officials, including the 1433 township assessors, will fight tooth and nail to keep their jobs, power and political clout, protecting self interest.

"You are over-assessed and over-taxed. Stand-up, fight back and be counted. Write a letter, make a phone call, send an e-mail. Contact your state representatives and senators. Tell them you deserve, and expect, a fair, uniform and equitable tax assessment."