It’s that time of the year, tax bills are out. I thought this e-mail exchange might provide some info for folks.
Hi, Brenda ~~
Last summer I sent you a note pointing out that my property taxes were going up at an alarming rate and that, within 10 years at the current rate of increase, the property tax bill on my humble bungalow on the near east side would be roughly 70% of my Social Security check. And, that obviously a retired working stiff like myself could no longer afford to live in my home.
You didn’t answer but I did get a nice letter from the Mayor. (Thus the cc.) In it, he explained that my taxes were not going up as I had feared. Apparently I had miscalculated or something.
Whew, was I relieved.
Anyway, now I got my tax bill and, contrary to what the Mayor promised, the bill is up over $250 from last year.
Obviously, given the Mayor’s assurances, this bill is in error. Therefore I will be paying only last year’s amount. I will be enclosing a note to the City Treasurer, explaining the error and referring any questions to you and the Mayor.
My response was as follows:
The amount we tax per $1000 of home value did indeed go down, it’s called the mill rate and it goes down every year. Likely, the value of your home went up (I see it went from $174,000 to $195,100 last time, perhaps you should consider challenging your assessment next time it comes out.) Additionally, the city is only a portion of your tax bill. I have no idea what the mayor told you or how you are calculating what you are not going to pay or which portion you are claiming it the city’s fault. However, I suggest that you discuss this with the treasurer’s office, the assessors office or perhaps an attorney prior to withholding your taxes. Referring the city treasurer to me or the mayor will not relieve you of your duty to pay your taxes. One final thought, you could contact the comptrollers office and look into the reverse mortgage the city offers for people on fixed incomes.
In fact, this was one of the lowest increases in the budget we have had in years. The tax levy increase was 4.35% while the 15 year average is 5.75%
Funny thing about this e-mail was – it came from someone with a state e-mail address. If this person is retired, does the state allow them to keep their e-mail addresses?
