Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Dorr Township June meeting - informative!

The Dorr Township elected officials held their Town monthly meeting today, and routine business (Roll call, Pledge of Allegiance, Public Comments, Minutes, spending $101,944.16, approving one ordinance and taking no action of a requested contribution) was quickly dispensed with.

Kevin Ivers, representing McHenry County Conservation District (MCCD), addressed the officials and audience about the MCCD, which is 39 years old this year. MCCD manages 23,500+ acres, and 28 sites are open to the public. In the past year MCCD served 800,000 visitors and peaked at 600 volunteers, who put in 13,500 hours of volunteer work time.

Boger Bog is open (see MCCD website at www.mccdistrict.org) just east of Woodstock, off North Cherry Valley Road, just south of Stickney Run. The 37-acre Bog is at Graminold Fen. The Kishwaukee headwaters site in south Woodstock will open soon; it's on Dean Street, just south of U.S. 14. The Lost Valley Visitor Center at Glacial Park will celebrate its opening on August 14. And the bike path from Woodstock to MCC? Well, plan to wait a while on that one. Oh, yes; Supervisor Bob Pierce says there are fish "as big as alligators" in Dufield Pond.

Planning for general building projects (renovations on the Township administrative offices and the roads building) continues, and a report is expected at the monthly meeting on July 13.

Assessor Kelli Myers gave an excellent detailed presentation, with hand-outs, about the effect on assessed valuations and taxes of a property tax appeal to the Board of Review. You "shoulda" been there!

You've heard about the three-year rolling average that keeps your assessed valuation from falling as fast as your home's fair market value (FMV); right? You know what the FMV is; right? Basically, that's what a willing buyer will pay a willing seller. If you appeal your property tax bill to the Board of Review, that rule goes down the drain. The Board will look at one-year comparables. In the past, the Board did not take foreclosures and short sales into consideration.

What's new? Now the Board will consider the impact of foreclosures and short sales on your property's value. Kelli had prepared three examples, and the effect is harsh. It's harsh for the government entities that receive tax dollars, because those dollars of revenue are likely to drop. It's harsh for the owners who do not appeal their tax bills.

Now is the time to do your homework on your property tax bill. And you'd better do it quickly, while the appeal window is still open.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Gus! It was good to see you at the meeting last night.

I wanted to add some clarification to my presentation from last night.

It is my understanding that the use of foreclosures and short sales is part of a bill that is on the governor's desk, so not official yet - athough it certainly appears that it will be.

Also, the next time taxpayers will have the opportunity to appeal their assessments will be this fall after the 2010 assessment notices are published.

Dorr Township notices are usually published around late September. At that time, McHenry County opens up a 30 day deadline to file an appeal.

The tax bills that are due in 2010 were based on the 2009 assessments. The deadline to appeal the 2009 assessment was October 23, 2009 for Dorr Township.

The 2010 assessments will be able to be appealed in the fall of 2010. The 2010 assessments will be the basis for the tax bill payable in 2011.

The dates and deadlines involved in property assessments and tax bills can be confusing. I invite anyone who has further questions or would like clarification to please contact my office at 815.338.0128.

Thanks Gus!

Respectfully submitted,
Kelli Myers
Dorr Township Assessor

Gus said...

Kelli, many thanks for clarifying the appeal dates for the Property Tax Years!