Community Corner
Meet Joe Kral, Frankfort Patch's Person of the Year
Patch readers voted in December to select the Frankfort Township assessor as Patch's Person of the Year. Kral sat down recently with Patch to discuss the importance of educating the public about the tax assessment process.
Editor's note: Frankfort Patch readers voted in December to select Joe Kral as Frankfort Patch's Person of the Year. To learn more about Kral and his work for Frankfort Township, read our Person of the Year profile below.
Joe Kral is the Frankfort Township Assessor, but he also considers himself to be a public educator.
“Joe Kral is the type of person you want in government,” said Ed Ebner, a Frankfort resident who has sought assistance through the assessor’s office regarding his property taxes.
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As the township assessor, Kral, a former appraiser and business owner, is charged with assigning properties with the value from which their property taxes are derived. In 2012, he assessed approximately 24,000 parcels of land in the Frankfort area.
But for Kral, who has now served as the township assessor for three years after being elected as a write-in candidate, the job is about more than numbers and figures — it’s about being a source of information for township homeowners.
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“Residents appreciate his candor and honesty,” said Frankfort Mayor Jim Holland.
Kral freely admits that the property tax system in Illinois is not designed to be easily understood. In response to the confusion and frustration that is often felt by local taxpayers, he has organized several opportunities for community outreach. These include hosting property tax information sessions at the Frankfort Public Library and speaking to local homeowner’s associations.
“It’s all about meeting with the constituent face to face,” said Kral.
In order to make the property tax process more accessible to township residents, Kral developed something called the soft appeal.
A soft appeal is a tool for homeowners who feel their property tax assessment is incorrect and wish to appeal their assessment at the county level. When a homeowner expresses an interest in filing an appeal, Kral gives him or her a set of forms, which constitute the “soft appeal.”
The forms provide an opportunity for homeowners to check their assessment and go through the steps of an appeal, before discussing their specific concerns with Kral.
The soft appeal process has made it easier for Kral to work with residents to address issues without having to involve the county in a formal appeal, he says. During the few years that Kral has worked as the township assessor, the number of formal appeals filed has dropped from approximately 700 in 2008 to 70 in 2012.
Kral says he has tried to make assessment information as available to the public as possible. Every township assessment can be viewed through a database on the assessor’s website.
Kral also volunteers his time for several community projects facilitated by Frankfort Township. He unloads delivery trucks for the Frankfort Township Food Pantry and the Post Office Food Drive and calls bingo numbers for the township's senior bingo night. Kral volunteered at the township's Lunch with Santa event this holiday season as well.
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