President Preckwinkle Partners with Suburban Mayors to Distribute Funds to Local Projects

Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios announced that on June 23, 2011, reassessment notices were mailed to close to 33,000 single family and 6,200 condominium homeowners in Bremen Township. Our goal at the Assessor’s Office is to ensure that all property owners are equitably assessed, Assessor Berrios said. I encourage all homeowners to review their reassessment notices carefully to be certain their proposed assessments are fair and accurate. Each year, the Cook County Assessor’s Office reassesses one-third of the nearly 1.8 million parcels of property located in Cook County. This year, the Assessor’s Office is reassessing properties in the 17 townships located in south and west suburban Cook County. Among the findings from the Bremen Township reassessment: Bremen is the seventh of 17 south suburban townships to be mailed during this triennial reassessment. The median assessed value fell to 14,604 in 2011, from 17,422 in 2008, a 17.37% decline. The median sale price for single-family homes and other non-condo residential properties fell to $145,000 in 2010, from $170,000 in 2009 – a 14.7% decline. The proposed assessments of condominiums in Bremen Township reflect a median decrease of 18% in assessed value. Reassessment notices contain proposed values that will be reflected on second-installment tax bills, which will be due in the fall of 2012. However, the time to file appeals on these proposed assessments is now, when the reassessment notices are received. The deadline date for appeals for Bremen Township is July 25, 2011. Berrios stressed that homeowners do not need an attorney to file an appeal. A single-family homeowner may compare his or her assessment with those of similar homes. These assessments are published in local newspapers and the name of the paper and the publication date can be found on the notice. The publication of assessments is also made available in public libraries. Residential data books are available at all Assessors’ Office locations and may be used to find comparable properties. Assessor Berrios’ Web site also allows taxpayers to search for information using a 14-digit Property Index Number (PIN) or by typing in an address. Homeowners can check their property’s characteristics, as well as search for information on similar properties to use if they choose to appeal their assessments. Residential taxpayers may also file an appeal online and the Assessor’s Web site allows them to search for comparables and add those comparables to their online appeals. 　The Assessor’s Web site is located at (http://www.cookcountyassessor.com/). Bremen Township is the seventh reassessment township to receive Assessor Berrios’s redesigned notice which now includes a wealth of information for taxpayers. In addition to the standard assessment information, the new notice includes: an estimated fair market value, an assessment history for the property, transactions from the Recorder of Deeds Office, a history of tax payments, and a photo of the property. My goal as Assessor is to ensure that properties are assessed fairly and that taxpayers are provided with all the tools necessary to determine if their assessments are accurate, Assessor Berrios explained. Our newly redesigned notice is the first step in increasing transparency and I will continue to look for ways to improve the assessment process.