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It seems that over the last week, I read several articles about possible new villagerules. First there is the desire to manage trees on private property. Now there seems to be another proposal to have contractors register with the city. And then I get in the mail, if you make changes to your hard-scape that is greater than 100 sq feet (that's just 10 x 10), you have to contact the village. What gives?? If I wanted all of these rules I would move back to Naperville.
Probably due to homeowners putting hardscape on village easements, within setbacks (too close to neighbors), blocking drainage, etc.
The amount of regulation we have would surely make the founding fathers roll over in their graves but then I don't think they would have comprehended that their concept of freedom is not what a typical American embraces today. You don't need all the rules if you respect your neighbors rights as your own. It's like we think- well there's no rule against it so it's ok to do. Resulting in complaints and problems and the demand for more regulation.
Every once in awhile I run into a recent immigrant who has run afoul of some local building ordinance. They usually say "But this is America!. Land of the free right?" LOL
Wow. I'm beginning to rethink my desire to own a home in GE....do all of these village regulations apply to unincorporated areas as well, or just those within village limits?
Should I give up, or should I just keep chasing pavements....even if it leads nowhere - Adele
Incorporated only. Unincorporated simply means not within the borders of an incorporated town, city or village. Think: Glen Ellyn Countryside, just north of North Avenue between Main Street and Bloomingdale.
I would really like to know the exact types of "upgrades" that trigger a higher assessment. Certainly things like room additions, fireplaces and even "three season rooms" will catch the attention of the township assessor - via building permit application.
There is an exemption known as the Homestead Improvement Exemption ["H.I.E."] that can defer the additional assessed valuation for up to five years.
I have done a lot of things to my estate that required building permits and have never seen the permitted improvements raise my assessed valuation. Things like: a new furnance, new driveway, new fence and a new roof.
Assessin' trivia: Any improvements made to an existing home or building on real property that would trigger a higher assessment are considered "new construction". This share of a taxing entity's Aggregate Equalized Assessed Valuation is exempt from the PTELL "tax cap" law when toting up the limiting rate for an levy/extension.
Originally posted by Biostitute: The assessor determines value which translates into higher taxes. Tax rates are increased by taxing bodies. better? Geez.
No, not better. It all depends upon the levies of the taxing bodies and they don't levy a rate, they levy dollars. The County Clerk determines the rate to hit all the properties with after calculating the total levy dollars for the taxing district. Your personal EAV times the rate the Clerk determines is what calculates your bill.
If the bodies levy for more money, either: 1) your EAV goes up and your rate goes down (and you pay more), 2) your EAV goes down and your rate goes up (and you pay more), or 3) your EAV and your rate go up (and you pay more).
Now I suppose it is possible that if your personal EAV drops by a much much higher percentage than the rest of your taxing district drops, you might see a decrease in your bill. Or on the flip side, if everyone's EAV skyrockets, except yours, you might see a decrease. But what are the odds of those scenarios happening?
Posts: 1957 | Location: Posh YMCA District | Registered: June 04, 2003
Regulation varies quite a bit by jurisdiction- GE is pretty tightly regulated- presumably because the residents want it that way to preserve the town's character, etc. Other municipalities regulate much less- no permits for sheds, decks, etc. No architectural review.
Unincorporated has less regulation (which depending on your perspective can be good or bad) but what they have is not necessarily less strict- for instance the FAR (how much you can pile onto your lot by way of house, pool, etc- floor area ratio) is stricter in unincorporated areas than in GE and many other municipalities. Presuming again that the GE residents like to have Mcmansions on small lots so they allow it. How close you can build to the property line I think is also less strict in GE but its been awhile since I checked.
The worst is newer subdivisions with building/land use restrictions- some will try to tell you what color the boards must be on your wooden fence and ban accessory structures- largely an unenforceable, illegal trampling of property rights but who needs that hassle? Unless you really like that suburban kind of living.
Wow mid- is the sky blue today or would you say more azure?
His point was that the village must ask for permits so that it can raise taxes. My point was the township assessor decides on the value of the improvement which ultimately affects the tax you pay. And yeah, its sort of obvious your value could decrease resulting in less tax owed.
Enforcement is as it is in many area- by complaint. At which time the inspector does a check of the surrounding residences. They actually have pretty good enforcement as they rely on the State's Attorney for prosecution which is a tiny part of the County's overall budget- municipalities must pony up for a private lawyer which they are sometimes reluctant to do due to budget concerns.
I don't know, when I had a fence permit and called the inspector for final inspection he said, "I figured you were getting close. It looked like you were making good progress the couple of times I drove by..."
Could be. I know a few people in communities where the community spends money to constantly monitor what the residents are up to- they'll look for a suspicious piece of lumber in the drive or trash, sawdust etc. Ready to pounce with a violation for that paneling you put on the basement wall. Most times I think its a cranky neighbor who turns you in, though this information is usually not shared with the violator. Just happened to a friend in Schaumburg who had a deteriorating brick facade on a foundation wing wall. Been that way for years right in front of the garage. Not really hurting anything but a bit unsightly as it was missing some bricks already. Neighbor asked him to fix it and he said he would but didn't do it fast enough- red tag on the door.
Just saying I think most communities combine checking nearby residents with scheduled building inspections or in response to a complaint as an economy. Though considering there is little building going on more could be driving around on patrol due to lack of work. Just tax money instead of building fees paying more for the service.
