Hear complaints made about assessor’s office
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
By Ben Crane
The Douglas County Board held their monthly meeting Wednesday where Deana Shields of the Arcola Township addressed the Board regarding recent assessments made in Arcola.
Shields admitted the assessor for Arcola Township, Melissa Petrie, was late in submitting her books, and the Supervisor of Assessments, Cynthia Baer, refused to accept them on two separate attempts.
As Shields explained, “Our assessor did not meet the deadline imposed by the supervisor of assessments. Although she did make an attempt to turn her books in late, Cindy rejected them.”
She further explained there were discrepancies between the assessor’s valuations and those provided by Allen Romine, who Douglas County hired to do the assessments in wake of the late books.
The Board invoiced the Arcola Township for the work Romine did.
After Shields finished, Gary Luth asked Shields a few questions, ending on one of clarity.
“Just to be clear, you turned in your books late, correct?”
Another township assessor, Mary Kingery of Bourbon township expressed concerns about unfair practices in the supervisor of assessments’ office and the Board of Review.
“The taxpayers in Douglas County and specifically Bourbon Township are not getting a fair assessment due to practices in the Supervisor of Assessments office and the Board of Review offices.”
King highlighted a specific issue where an 18,000-square-foot commercial building was omitted from the assessment in Bourbon Township, despite her repeated requests to the supervisor of assessments to correct the error.
“By refusing, she [Baer] is failing to comply with Illinois State statute and is in violation of law. By refusing or neglecting to follow property tax law, the taxpayers of Bourbon Township are being cheated in that the tax burden is not distributed fairly among taxpayers.”
The Board provided no comment or questions regarding her thoughts.
Moving to the business items of the meeting, the Board approved Resolution 25-R-1, which raised the mileage reimbursement rate by 3 cents to 70 cents per mile.
A culvert wing replacement engineering services agreement was made with Bourbon Township to not exceed $6,000 was also approved.
The Board approved a multitude of county bridge fund petitions, where they approved a $57,650 request from Tuscola Township, a $9,000 request from Bowdre Township, and renewed nine county bridge fund petitions in Resolution 25-R-2.
Finally, the Board amended a motion from their December meeting approving an appropriation for the State’s Attorney Appellate Prosecutor program from $7,000 up to $10,000.