Property owners in St. Clair County know that taxes will go up, but do they have to go up so much?
That's the question Republicans Joe Behnken and Kyle McCarter are asking of local taxing districts, and hope taxpayers will join with them.
Their Web site, ourtaxmoney.com, states that property taxes in many townships in St. Clair County have risen more than 30 percent over the past four years. How many of you have seen your paychecks increase that much in the same period of time?
The rapid rise in property taxes is due in large part to township multipliers, which raise assessed values across the board. More precisely it's due to elected officials who could reduce their property tax requests when the assessments go up as a result of a multiplier, but choose instead to bank the windfall.
The multiplier likely will go up again this year, even though housing values have in many cases decreased. That's because the multiplier calculation lags behind the current housing market.
Rather than take a windfall this year, Behnken and McCarter want the taxing districts to let property owners keep more of their money. "We're not asking them to decrease costs. We're asking them to decrease the increase," Behnken said.
That's reasonable, particularly at a time when many people are struggling to pay their bills. Now the big question: Will the elected officials in the various taxing districts listen? Let them know what you think.
