Want to Fight That Property Tax Bill? You're Too Late

Not happy with your property tax bill? You can't do anything about it until this fall.

According to Illinois state statute, homeowners have 30 days to appeal any changes in their home's assessed value -- when a home's assessed value rises, so will the property taxes that its owner pays -- once they receive notice from their local township assessor. That deadline passed long before Kane and Kendall county residents began receiving their 2010 property tax bills in late April and early May.

This means that Montgomery homeowners unhappy with the amount of property taxes they're paying will have to wait until later this year to argue for a lower figure. If they're successful, the changes will go on next year's tax bill.

Andy Nicoletti, chief assessor of Kendall County, said that Montgomery homeowners in Kendall County had until Nobember of last year to protest their 2010 property assessments.

That's because the newspaper published the record of properties that saw their assessments change, either up or down, in October. The owners of these properties also received notices – also dated in October -- that their homes' assessed value had changed.

"It's too late now, then, for these homeowners to do anything about their property tax bill," Nicoletti said. "They have to pay their taxes as they are. There is no way for them to contest their homes' assessed values."

The news is similar for those Montgomery homeowners living in Kane County. Mark Armstrong, supervisor of assessments for the county, said that Kane County began publishing its assessment lists in the Aurora Beacon News starting Aug. 12 and continuing through Nov. 5. Those homeowners whose assessed value had changed also received notices in the mail.

Homeowners should watch for notice of any changes in their homes' assessed value starting in October of this year. They'll then have 30 days to file an appeal with the Kendall County Board of Review or the Kane County Board of Review, depending on in which county their Montgomery home sits. These boards of review handle all assessment appeals filed in their counties.

In Kendall County, homeowners not happy with their property's assessment must fill out the Kendall County Board of Review Appeal Form, which can be found here. The form asks homeowners for their property address, home phone, township and reason for appeal. It also provides spaces for homeowners to list the prices that similar homes in their neighborhood have sold for.

Once homeowners complete the form and turn it in to the board of review, they'll be assigned a hearing date. It is at this time that they will officially argue their case with the board of review. The township assessor who originally completed the disputed assessment might also attend the hearing to explain the assessment.

Board of review members will either make a decision at the hearing or at a later date.

The process works the same way in Kane County. Armstrong said that homeowners typically file an appeal based on one of three reasons: The most common argument is that the township assessor valued their home too high for the current market. Others argue that similar homes in their neighborhood or subdivision assessed at a lower value, while others base an appeal on the fact that the township assessor used inaccurate information. For instance, the assessor might have said that a home had four bedrooms when it actually only has three.

Armstrong said that Kane County is making it easier for homeowners to appeal their assessments. The Web page of the Kane County Assessment Office gives property owners access to an appeals form, a how-to guide for filling out this form and a list of deadlines for appeals.

These appeals are becoming a more common occurrences in both Kane and Kendall county. Nicoletti said that in 2010, the county faced about 730 assessment appeals. In 2009, that number stood at 785. In 2008, though, the county only faced 530 appeals. Nicoletti said that prior to 2009, the county usually saw about 500 appeals a year.

Armstrong said that the owners of 4,963 parcels filed complaints with the board of review this year. That’s up from 3,680 in the prior year.

Homeowners aggravated by this year’s property tax bills, though, have already missed the assessment appeal window.

“If 30 days have passed since the assessments were published, I have to tell people that I can’t take their complaint,” Armstrong said. “That’s why it’s so important to not wait to file your complaint if you have one.”