Monthly Archives: October 2019

Continued Push for Bill to Require Commercial Income Data

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi has not given up on efforts to pass legislation requiring some commercial property owners to submit information about building income to the assessor’s office, which he has called “the first, best step in legislative tax reform.”

The so-called Data Modernization Bill passed the Illinois Senate earlier this year, but was shelved by a House committee amid opposition from groups that include the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, among others. Opponents say the bill would impose burdensome reporting requirements and includes information that is confidential.

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Senior Exemption Will Renew Automatically Next Year

Cook County property owners who have already applied for and received a senior exemption will have one less chore next year under a law that makes the exemption automatic for property owners 65 and older.

In the past, the senior exemption had to be renewed annually, a task that the Cook County Treasurer’s Office found was overlooked by more than 25,000 of the county’s approximately 740,000 eligible seniors.

Under the law that went into effect this year, eligible seniors will only have to apply for the exemption once and it will auto renew annually. The exemption can reduce a homeowner’s property tax bill by an average of $300 a year as it reduces the property’s equalized assessed value by $8,000.
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Board of Review Opens Group 5 for 2019 Appeals

Listening Tour A Chance to Question Cook County Assessor The Cook County Board of Review has opened 2019 property tax appeals for the fifth group. The Board’s deadline to appeal your 2019 assessed value is November 5th. Below are the townships that are currently open in Group 5:

  • Barrington
  • Lyons
  • Maine
  • Stickney

If you missed your appeal opportunity at the Assessor’s office earlier in the year, or if you did appeal and weren’t satisfied with the result, you have a second opportunity to appeal at the Board of Review. Appealing your home’s 2019 assessed value is the only way to achieve property tax relief on your second installment property tax bill in July 2020, other than selling your home or claiming a new exemption. Assessments can be appealed every year, regardless of when a township was reassessed.
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