2019 - Gary Smith

Make Sure You’re Getting Your Cook County Property Tax Breaks

Cook County homeowners often miss some of the property tax breaks for which their properties qualify and end up paying more money than they need on their property taxes. Property Tax Exemptions Can Help In addition to appealing the appraised […]

High Property Taxes in Cook County? Don’t Move Just Yet

High Cook County property taxes make neighboring Indiana look attractive to homeowners who work in the city. After all, a $1.55 million house in Chesterton, Ind., has an annual property tax bill of $11,200. A similarly priced home in Glenview […]

The Pressure Is On to Raise Property Taxes in Illinois

Illinois has a pension-fund shortage, and the continued solution for shoring up that fund has fallen on the backs of residential and commercial property taxpayers. Now, the Chicago Fed has introduced the idea a statewide residential property tax of 1 […]

Effective Property Tax Rates for Cook County: Analyzing the Ten-Year Trend

The Civic Federation recently released its annual “Effective Property Tax Rates report,” which looks at the effective property tax rates for Chicago and 28 other selected municipalities in northeastern Illinois. This year’s report estimates the tax year 2016, which means […]

Assessor Kaegi Completes Two Township Reassessments, and the Results are Large Assessment Increases for the Taxpayer

Assessor Kaegi was recently elected with a mandate from Cook County voters to “reform” the property tax assessment system. He campaigned on enacting massive changes to the methods of reassessment, and to the entire tax system. He spoke about assessment […]

First Installment Tax BIlls: Here’s Why Your Exemptions or the Impact of Your Appeal May Not Be Showing Up

Property tax bills in Cook County are delivered in two parts. The first installment is sent near the end of January and is due March 1. The second installments are usually sent at the end of summer, after the total […]

Did You Take Advantage of Property Tax Abatement? Your Next Tax Bill May Shock You

Property tax abatement programs ease the property tax burden for homeowners in Cook County by reducing or eliminating property taxes in areas that are built through new construction or those going through major rehabilitation. 7 Programs Within Cook County Offer […]

Check Your Mail: $8.3 Million in Property Tax Refunds Are on the Way

It is not often that money just shows up in a person’s bank account, but with the assistance of technology, the Cook County Treasurer’s Office has refunded about $8.3 million to nearly 30,000 homeowners automatically, rather than have them fill […]

You’re Doing It Wrong: Here’s the Right Way to Appeal Your Property Taxes in Illinois

As the government adds to the property tax burdens in Cook County, property owners—both residential and commercial—can ease that burden by appealing the property’s assessed value. How the Appeals Process Works When a property is misvalued in Cook County, it […]

Property Tax Levy Increases On the Way

A variety of Illinois communities are banking on property tax levies to finance school district budgets and general funds in the coming year. School districts in Northbrook and the Rock Island County Board are just some of the state entities […]