La Grange resident Jill Mahrt stood outside the Lyons Township Assessor’s Office seeking a seat in the jammed waiting area.
Informed it was about an hour wait to talk with a staffer in the office, Mahrt said she was seeking information on the best way to challenge her home’s reassessment, which jumped a whopping 107 percent this year.
“I am trying to figure things out,” Mahrt said. “I want to see if I they can provide me information about the success rate of attorneys challenging assessments”
More Top Picks Best Calming Sensory Toys For Toddlers
Mahrt’s case is not unique. Residents throughout Lyons Township are seeing their property values rise anywhere from 20 to 60 percent this reassessment.
Lyons Township Assessor Barbara Weyrick said the reassessments are based on what homes are selling for throughout the township. She said Lyons’ last reassessment in 2014 still had home prices artificially low because of the financial collapse of 2008 and 2009.
“Not one of the 17 towns in Lyons Township saw its market value, as a whole, go down,” Weyrick said of this year’s reassessment.
An Indian Head Park resident went to Weyrick’s office Thursday after seeing his tax bill go up by nearly $1,000 due to the most recent reassessment.
Weyrick said her office works with homeowners to challenge the reassessment, if that is what the residents want.
“I’m an advocate as much as I’m the assessor,” Weyrick said. “I have been here for 28 years. Once you get elected, you’re the politician, but I’m a public servant. If more people understood that when they took office we wouldn’t have the problem we have.”
Though she is a Democrat, Weyrick said it doesn’t matter for her job.
“When people walk in, they’re my residents of the township,” she said.
Weyrick said it is not uncommon for 30 people to be waiting at the door when the office opens at 8:30 a.m. these days. She said she anticipates 150 people coming to her office every day during the one-month window residents have to challenge their reassessment, which ends June 23.
Jill Mahrt said that she and her husband, a lawyer himself, are considering hiring an attorney to take on the job of their reassessment challenge.
Mahrt said they would have rethought their home purchase if they knew the reassessment hit they would take.
“When we bought our home two years ago, we knew what the taxes were,” Mahrt said. “Now they are going to double. Knowing that would have changed how much home we bought.”
Weyrick said anyone thinking his or her reassessment is too high should challenge it. She said challenges are successful between 65 and 72 percent of the time.
“People just need to know to come in here and we’re going to act on their benefit for anything and everything,” Weyrick said. “Even if they don’t have a question on their real estate taxes, if they need to contact their state rep or congressman, we can help.”
Kevin Beese is a freelance writer for Pioneer Press.
How to appeal
For individuals seeking to appeal their reassessment, the Lyons Township Assessor’s Office, 6404 Joliet Road, Countryside, is open from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 12:30-3:30 p.m. weekdays.
In addition to regular business hours, the Assessor’s Office will also be open:
* Until 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 6
* 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 10
* Until 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 13.
More Top Picks Best Car Refrigerators
* 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 17
The last day to file an appeal with the township is June 23. Appeals can be filed with Cook County until June 26.