An email from Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore:

Dear Grafton Township Residents,

ASSESSMENT BOOKS SUBMITTED

I have great news! Assessor Ottley has submitted his “assessment books” to the McHenry County Assessor Robert Ross. We expect the assessment figures to be published including the Equalization Value, in the first or second week of November and you should receive a letter from Chief County Assessor Ross in the mail at about the same time.

Once you receive your assessment value, if you believe that you are bearing more than your fair share of the tax burden, i.e. your assessed value is too high, you will have 30 days to file an appeal to the McHenry County Board of Review.

NEED TO ENSURE ACCURATE PROPERTY FACTS

Your assessment is determined first by the township assessor and then by the county assessor who can adjust the value either directly or with equalization factor for the entire township. It is important to ensure that your property record card is factually accurate regarding square footage, driveways, bathrooms, bedrooms, walkways, fireplaces, buildings etc. This information is included in your property record card which is a public record that is available at www.graftontownship.us under the property search function. I would encourage you to verify that your property facts are accurate.

You can also search neighboring addresses to compare similar properties and the assessed value of those properties to ensure that your assessment is “fair and equal.” Residential property bears the largest tax burden. Schools are the largest portion of the tax bill that we pay. The assessed value of your property should be 33.33% of market value as of January 1 each year. If your property record is not accurate, please contact the McHenry County Supervisor of Assessment’s office at 1-815-334-4290 to request a correction, ask a question or for assistance with preparing your assessment appeal.

TIME TO VOTE

Early voting has begun. For early voting times, rules and locations click on this link. Early voting can be done at any of the early voting locations in McHenry County regardless of your home address.

RESPONSE TO COMMENTS ON LAST WEEK’S NEWSLETTER

A few people posted questions regarding the board meeting report section of my newsletter last week. I appreciate this interest in township government albeit from anonymous persons. My responses will be in the format of short statements of fact.

The Grafton Township Food Pantry has served 73 residents in July, 98 in August and 106 in September of 2012.

A letter has been sent to Trustee McMahon and his wife requesting further details of their concern with the funds used to pay bills for the assessor’s office. A copy of the letter can be viewed at www.graftontownshipsupervisor.us.

The board has begun using transfer resolutions to make formal changes to the budget in a pre-approved format. This new procedure has had some glitches that we are attempting to resolve regarding the values entered in our software for certain budget line items.

Due to the important nature of the township finances, I have asked that the trustees put their questions in writing or email to me, at any time, so that I can prepare complete and accurate responses. Spur of the moment responses would be irresponsible in most cases.

The township needs to have a balanced budget because we cannot spend money that we do not have in township funds. Paying off debt is an item to be included in a balanced budget. Debt is not a valid reason to accept a deficit budget; however, it is a reason for budget cuts in all departments.
As Supervisor, I receive the draft meeting minutes 48 hours prior to the regular board meeting. Therefore, I cannot wait to answer questions or take action on board decisions based on draft meeting minutes.

CONCLUSION

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Robert Ross, CCAO, for working with me to offer three classes to over 250 Grafton Township residents on property tax assessments. We have several upcoming township events including Halloween crafts sponsored by Heritage Woods on October 30th, free AARP class for veterans on November 26th and 27th, an on-going coat drive, Property Tax Presentation November 14th, and an RTA class on December 5th. Miss Illinois will visit the seniors on November 7th at the Huntley American Legion. Visit www.graftontownshipsupervisor.us for more information on any of these events.

Please take time to enjoy our beautiful fall weather and colors.

Sincerely,

Linda Moore
Grafton Township Supervisor