Naperville area legislators met with members of the public Saturday to talk about a subject dear to homeowner’s hearts: property taxes.
State Reps. Darlene Senger (R-Naperville), Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) and Mike Fortner (R-West Chicago) joined State Sen. Michael Connelly (R-Naperville) in a two-hour forum that focused on how property taxes are calculated and what avenues for appeal are open to the private citizen.
“I personally have appealed my property taxes successfully twice,” Ives told about 20 citizens in the Wheaton Community Center.
Ives related that she appealed when she thought the addition she and her husband put on their Wheaton home was overvalued by the tax assessor.
She said she wanted to empower taxpayers and equip them with some of the same tools and attitude toward property taxes that were characteristic of large companies.
“The business community understands this (process of appeals),” she said.
Ives said that homeowners need to be vigilant about being assessed fairly. This is particularly important in light of the additional tax burden placed on residents when businesses successfully appeal their assessments or are given tax breaks to move to a community, she said.
