MARION COUNTY — Marion County Supervisor of Assessments Patty Brough announced Friday that she is hosting an informational presentation and discussion in Centralia on Thursday, July 21.

The information shared is about property assessments in Marion County. Brough’s presentation starts at 6 p.m. in the library’s Monken Room and is one she has recently given in communities around the county such as Kinmundy, Odin, Patoka and Sandoval. After the presentation Brough said she welcomes questions to provide more explanation of her role as an official.

“It gets confusing about why we pay so much, especially this time of year with the tax bills. I explain what I do as the Supervisor of Assessments and how we make sure everyone gets a fair value for their property.” Brough noted the talk explains the process of assessments, how tax bills are calculated, and other steps involved in the process.

Patty Brough began serving as Supervisor of Assessments in 2000. She recently achieved an advanced designation of her previous work as a Certified Illinois Assessing Officer (CIAO).  Beyond her current certification as a CIAO, Brough was also designated as a Specialist (CIAO-S). She passed examinations administered by the Illinois Property Assessment Institute which confirm her knowledge of residential and commercial assessments, calculations, and fair land values.

Regarding the talk, Brough stated, “I always like to tell people when you look at your tax bill and if the “Fair Market Value” is more than you think you could sell it for, that’s when you give me or your township assessor a call.”  The talk will also include information on available property exemptions.

“There’s relief out there for seniors, for the disabled, for veterans, and for people who make improvements at their place. We do all we can to help out everyone,” she said.

She understands all assessors are often blamed but trumpets that Marion County property is assessed correctly. Brough noted the “State Equalization Factor” of 1.00 on the tax bill reflects the hard work done by her and all local township assessors.

Brough stated, “The local assessors and I worked hard over the last several years to get things right. We’ve all done it together.”  At the talk a sample tax bill will be provided along with other information but people are encouraged to bring their own tax bill if someone has a specific question.

Brough will begin the talk at 6:00pm on Thursday evening in the Centralia Library’s Monken Room. She advised that if people couldn’t attend but still had questions or needed help they could call 548-3853 or come by her office at the Marion County Courthouse or they could talk to their local township assessor.