2011 property tax bill: A mid-May trick, or treat?
By Linda McDaniel-Hale Point Taken May 11, 2012 11:14AM
Updated: June 14, 2012 8:09AM
Thanks to our own Courier News, I was tensely awaiting the arrival of our 2011 Real Estate Tax Bill. I knew it would be coming soon, but according to reports I could expect a slight increase over last year’s bill.
Rising taxes are something we all have become accustomed to, if that is what you want to call it. It seems that no matter how much we complain, those in charge don’t really give a care. My paycheck covers less and less these days between increase in taxes, soaring gas prices — which affect everything else — and the rising cost of health care. I have very little to enjoy the finer things in life.
There is very little left for dinners out or a frivolous shopping trip to purchase overpriced celebrity perfume. A trip to a spa is out of the question, even though it is Mother’s Day.
But if you think that this is another article bemoaning rising taxes, you guessed wrong, for this time I got the shock of my life.
After arriving home from a stressful day at work, last Thursday should have been like all the rest. Was I wrong. There it was waiting for me to open, the 2011 Real Estate Tax Bill. I left it on the kitchen table for a bit, before I had the courage to open it.
I never read the entire bill at first but took my eyes directly to the bottom line at the lower right-hand corner. There it was in bold black letters — the dreaded amount.
It seemed in order, of course; but on further examination, I was sure that the Kane County treasurer must have been reading Point Taken on a regular basis.
Not only was the fair cash value of our home spot on, but my 2011 real estate taxes had gone down by a whopping 12.4 percent. Yes, our share of what I owe Kane County has gone down. Even though the rates in percentage have risen an average of 1.08 percent, the fair cash value has dropped significantly and therefore the tax bill is lower.
What will become of that extra money in my pocket has yet to be decided. Those windfalls always seem to be needed to pay for an unexpected auto repair or dental bill. Will this be the start in a series of thanking the politicians for indeed having a heart? Or will I be complaining again when property values come back and the taxes are back up again?
With six months until the November elections, only time will tell if lower real estate taxes were a way to trick me into voting for all the incumbents out there trying to save their jobs. Or will real estate taxes again be higher next year?
Linda McDaniel-Hale is a Sleepy Hollow resident.
