Evanston Tax Bills Dash Hopes that Reassessment Might Be Kind to Homeowners

A whopping 86% of homeowners in Evanston are seeing property tax increases this year. A breakdown compiled by Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin shows that 11,924 of 13,810 residential properties have a tax bill that is higher – substantially in many cases – than last year’s.

Suffredin’s office has offered to help Evanston property owners who believe their tax bill contains errors or who may have overlooked an exemption that could lead to a reduction.

But even though the window for appealing those tax bills with the Cook County assessor has closed, Evanston Township residents will still have an opportunity to appeal with the Board of Review when it opens.

Why Did Property Taxes Go Up?

Every three years, Cook County reassesses property values as part of the triennial assessment. Last year’s reassessment resulted in significant increases in values from the previous year. City officials had hoped that flat or decreased levies from the various taxing districts serving the city would mean that residential taxes might still go down.

That’s a lot to hope for, with everything from school districts to fire departments, libraries water boards and mosquito abatement programs dependent on property taxes for their budgets, in addition to the city and county. It adds up quickly.

What Can You Do?

There’s not a lot most people can do to influence the tax rates of so many separate taxing bodies. But the assessed value of your property is based on very specific criteria that the assessment process doesn’t always capture accurately. That’s why it’s so important to appeal every year, first to the assessor’s office, and later to the Board of Review.

At Kensington, deep experience in researching the factors used to set the assessed value of a property, combined with our proprietary algorithm and an up-to-date property value database, leaves us uniquely qualified to build a case for appealing your assessment.

The Board of Review appeal process for Evanston Township has not yet opened. When it does, you will have a month to appeal your assessment to the board.

A reduction in your assessment is the most effective way to reduce your property tax bill after you have received the value of any exemptions for which you are eligible.

Get a Free Analysis of How Much an Appeal Could Save

For a free, no-obligation analysis of your tax bill, give us a call or click on the link below. We will also review your bill to ensure that you have filed for all the exemptions that apply.

Our clients pay nothing unless we are able to help obtain a significant reduction in their assessment.

Get Your Free Property Tax Reduction Estimate