A Taxpayer's Tale
August 02, 2007 Filed in: Letters
I have lived on Howard Place in Englewood since 1979,
and have been a homeowner on this block for over
twenty of these years. Yet the events of the summer
of 2007 have thrown my husband and me into budgetary
shock and deep self-examination about the lack of
protection ordinary citizens enjoy in our town.
Let’s start with the early July letter telling us to pay $3,131.53 in quarterly homeowner taxes by August 1, 2007, instead of our customary $1,349.74.
We did learn in the Suburbanite, and later in a letter from the city dated July 11, 2007, that our anticipated tax burden would not be three times our normal amount, but only a modest 60+ percent increase.
How does the city respond?
Charlotte Bennett Schoen recommends that
1. We take the bridge loan offered by the City of $1,500 at 8% interest
2. We appeal our appraisal in 2008
3. We cannot get an extension on this year’s taxes, or a phase in of the new tax burden, because “State Law” would prohibit this
Michael Wildes responded by saying that
1. The City Council spends irresponsibly
2. He has attempted to encourage development in the City in order to lower taxes.
So, who is responsible? You got it. Not the City Council. Not the Mayor. Ordinary citizens are responsible for the taxes, and we have no legal recourse with the city or state in the face of unprecedented, unanticipated, and confiscatory rate hikes.
I ask like minded citizens to put our heads together and think of what power we can bring to bear to make the City of Englewood usher in new tax rates in a gradual and compassionate manner for its citizens.
Carole DeVito
Englewood
Let’s start with the early July letter telling us to pay $3,131.53 in quarterly homeowner taxes by August 1, 2007, instead of our customary $1,349.74.
We did learn in the Suburbanite, and later in a letter from the city dated July 11, 2007, that our anticipated tax burden would not be three times our normal amount, but only a modest 60+ percent increase.
How does the city respond?
Charlotte Bennett Schoen recommends that
1. We take the bridge loan offered by the City of $1,500 at 8% interest
2. We appeal our appraisal in 2008
3. We cannot get an extension on this year’s taxes, or a phase in of the new tax burden, because “State Law” would prohibit this
Michael Wildes responded by saying that
1. The City Council spends irresponsibly
2. He has attempted to encourage development in the City in order to lower taxes.
So, who is responsible? You got it. Not the City Council. Not the Mayor. Ordinary citizens are responsible for the taxes, and we have no legal recourse with the city or state in the face of unprecedented, unanticipated, and confiscatory rate hikes.
I ask like minded citizens to put our heads together and think of what power we can bring to bear to make the City of Englewood usher in new tax rates in a gradual and compassionate manner for its citizens.
Carole DeVito
Englewood
