Woman's home overtaxed for 24 years

An 84-year-old Wisconsin woman said she wants a refund from her city after she discovered she had been overpaying her property taxes for 24 years. Angie France, who purchased the Racine home with her late husband, Tom, for $50,000 in 1987, said she went to the city to see about lowering her house payments, and assessors discovered she had been paying for 500 extra square feet of living space ever since she moved in, WITI-TV, Milwaukee, reported Monday. France said she was told the original appraisal was done from outside of the home and officials mistakenly believed the attic was a bedroom, leading to the overestimation of the house's square footage. France said city officials are refusing to refund her the full amount and told her it is the homeowner's responsibility to bring concerns about possible property tax overcharges to the attention of officials. "It's just not fair, so I feel if I owed them, they'd want their money and I only think I'm doing what is right," France said. She said the city's Finance and Personnel Committee recommended repaying her about $450 for last year's overcharge, but her alderman recommended pursuing negotiations to obtain more compensation.