Even as the 30-day windows of opportunity open and close on Kane County taxpayers wanting to file an assessment complaint based on the recent reassessment of their property � the filing deadline vary by township, depending on when 2010 assessment changes are published � opportunity still remains for any interested property owners to get a firsthand explanation of exactly how property taxes work. A continuing series of free public clinics by the Kane County Board of Review that began in mid-August is scheduled to run through late December.
Supervisor of Assessments Mark Armstrong, who conducts the roughly two-hour sessions � the dates of the six remaining walk-in clinics are October 5th and 19th, November 3rd and 16th, and December 7th and 21st � cautions that they are not intended to be public forums nor are they designed to accommodate discussions about specific, individual assessments. Those questions are best directed to the assessor of the township in which the individual property is located, said Armstrong.
All the clinics begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Kane County Government Center, Building A, in Geneva. The Government Center is located at 719 South Batavia Avenue, near the intersection of Third Street and IL Route 31. In addition to taxpayers, tax-related �practitioners,� such as attorneys, appraisers, brokers, and others are welcome to attend, said Armstrong.
Besides helping taxpayers achieve a greater understanding of the Illinois property tax system, Armstrong said the clinics include an explanation of recent changes in state law that relates to real estate taxation, as well as dispelling some popular �myths about taxes and assessments,� such as the incorrect notion that �exemptions don�t save you any money,� said Armstrong. Each clinic accords Kane taxpayers an opportunity to evaluate whether they are obtaining all the homestead exemptions to which they are entitled.
A thorough explanation of the assessment appeal process is presented at each clinic along with all the necessary forms for filing appeals.
�We go step by step through every part of the complaint form,� said Armstrong.
Each clinic can accommodate about sixty participants. More information is available by calling the Kane County Board of Review at 630.208.3818 or accessing the Website for 2010 Complaint Forms; you can also see the Board�s Rules and Procedures, as well as the presentation on �How to fill out a complaint form.�
