Click here to visit "Scott Bagnall" at the Niles Township Assessor WEB site.
A Word From Assessor Scott Bagnall
Talk of property taxes seems both a direct and peripheral topic of conversation, considering the recent triennial reassessment, school funding issues and rising costs of government.
Consider the Niles Township Assessor Office as your property tax advocate. The office will provide public service and information related to residential and industrial/commercial property tax. My office will assist Niles Township property owners in dealing with the complex concepts and rules of property taxation.
What can you do to control your property tax bill? Taxes come from levies made by the taxing entities. Divide the total levies by the total equalized assessed! valuation to determine the tax rate. The assessed value for a specific parcel determines the proportionate share of the levies to be paid on that specific parcel. The formulas would look something like this:
To determine a particular tax bill:
EAV (equalized assessed valuation) X TR (tax rate) = tax bill
To determine the tax rate:
Total Levy = TR
Total EAV
Attend board meetings of the largest taxing bodies, usually schools, to gain an understanding of the economics of the levies. Analyze voter referendum requests for an increase in the tax rate. Do not accept opinions or conclusions without seeing and understanding the underlying data;
Check and test your assessed value (used to calculate your EAV). Take a look at your second installment tax bill. Look at the assessed value. Look at your neighbors’ houses that are similar and compare their assessed values to yours. If your assessed value is significantly higher without apparent reason, do not hesitate to question your assessed value.
Remember that in residential assessments size (square footage) is the most significant characteristic. With industrial/commercial assessments it’s income. Call my office to find out more about how to test uniformity of your assessed value when compared to other like properties in your neighborhood.
Make sure that you receive all of the exemptions for which you qualify. Look at your second installment real estate tax bill to determine whether the homestead and senior exemptions and the senior assessment freeze have been applied.
I strive to make my office resources available to all Niles Township property tax payers. Please call or stop by my office where deputy assessors will assist you with homeowner and senior citizen exemptions, the senior assessment freeze, and appeals. I have also assisted numerous property owners with unique problems. Just call and ask.
Assessor Scott Bagnall,
5255 Main Street, Skokie
(847) 673-9300.
'
