Cook County Property Tax Bills Will Arrive after Election

by Amanda Griffin-Johnson The timing of Cook County property tax bills this fall has entered the political realm. Last year, the bills were sent just before November. This year, they’re going out well after the election. Could there be political reasons for the later date? The Chicago Tribune reports: Cook County property tax bills won’t be out...

by Amanda Griffin-Johnson

The timing of Cook County property tax bills this fall has entered the political realm. Last year, the bills were sent just before November. This year, they’re going out well after the election. Could there be political reasons for the later date? The Chicago Tribune reports:

Cook County property tax bills won’t be out until around Thanksgiving, meaning voters won’t have sticker shock to fuel their anger toward politicians when they head to the polls Nov. 2.

Bills will be mailed around Nov. 22, Treasurer Maria Pappas estimated today. That’s nearly a full month later than last year, when bills were sent Oct. 28. The tax bills include a request for the rest of what a homeowner owes, including any increase in property taxes.

The timing of the bills has been a political football for months. Retiring Assessor James Houlihan has accused Joseph Berrios, the tax appeals board member running to succeed him, of slowing the appeals process intentionally to avoid angering voters before Election Day.

Berrios, who’s challenged in the assessor race by independent candidate and Houlihan ally Forrest Claypool, counters that Houlihan’s office dropped the ball in completing assessments on time. And Berrios believes a new assessment standard that was championed by Houlihan and Claypool will drive up homeowners’ bills. “I would love for (the bills) to go out before the election,” Berrios said.

You can read the full Chicago Tribune article here.