Questions on property taxes? Ask your assessor

A property tax assessor as an advocate for the people?

Yes, says Blackberry Township assessor Uwe Rotter. Throughout the year will conduct workshops at 7 p.m. the fourth Thursday of the month at the Blackberry Township office, 43W390 Main Street Road in Elburn.

"I want to demystify the assessment process," Rotter said. "During 2008, we had an increased demand for information with over 500 phones calls."

While residents have long found property tax assessments confusing, Rotter said, the current economy has raised new questions and concerns.

"People don't understand the system,"he said. "If property values go down, they think it will have an immediate impact on their tax payment."

Tax levies imposed by schools, libraries and park districts and other organizations can drive property taxes up, Rotter said, even if home values and assessments go down. Plus, home values are based on sales from the three previous years.

At the workshops, Rotter will discuss the property tax cycle, the taxing agencies, how assessments are developed, the board of review appeal process, and what he sees for the future.

Residents will also be able to ask questions about their tax bills.

Rotter has worked in the assessor's office for several years, and was appointed assessor in mid-2007 when Karen Becker resigned. He is running against Bonnie Wilcox in the April election for a full term as assessor.

Should he lose the election, he will remain in office for all of 2009, because of a law that gives the elected official time to get certified. Rotter is a certified assessing Illinois officer.

"If I lose the election, I'll still do the workshops," Rotter said. "I want to continue what I started. I want to hear people's concerns."