Starting next week, Cook County homeowners will have a new forum in which to air gripes about how the county assessed their homes–and set their 1996 tax bills.
This is the first year that residents have had the chance to appear before the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board to challenge assessments. Changes in the state’s tax laws that took effect in January opened this avenue, which has been available to residents of Illinois’ 101 other counties for years.
Public hearings are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning for homeowners who had their claims rejected, either wholly or partly, by the Cook County Board of Appeals and who subsequently filed an appeal with the state board within 30 days.
The state board’s jurisdiction will expand to commercial property owners beginning with the 1997 tax year.
Residents living in the townships of Maine, Niles, Northfield, New Trier, Evanston, Norwood Park and Leyden will have their cases heard at the state board’s Des Plaines office, 9511 W. Harrison St. Residents from Stickney, Lyons and Riverside will have their cases heard at the Stickney Township Building, 6721 W. 40th St., Stickney.
Eligible residents living elsewhere in Cook County will have their claims heard at sites scattered throughout the county. For further information, contact the board at 847-294-4360.