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BYLINE: Mark Brown Chicago Sun-Times October 20, 2001 This is the year that you should appeal you Cook County property tax assessment. Start making plans now. Filing an assessment complaint was never all that difficult, and now the process has become extraordinarily easier for homeowners, thanks to the Cook County Board of Tax Appeals. In fact, the folks at the Board of Tax Appeals say they will do almost all your work for you. On top of that, they think there's a good chance they can save you money. I must admit that I would have been totally unaware of this too-good-to-be-true service if I had not read a story in Sunday's Sun-Times by reporter Tim Novak about the tax bills of local politicians, focusing in particular on how some of them managed to cut their taxes this year while most Chicagoans were paying more. I suppose there was an implication in the story that some of the politicians had pulled a fast one by getting their assessments reduced below that of their neighbors, but the truth is that we didn't really prove they did anything wrong. Even politicians are allowed to appeal their taxes when a mistake has been made, so long as they are willing to take the political heat if they are a little too successful for their own good and come our better than their neighbors. But I thought the story was valuable, especially for its explanation of the simplified complaint system that the Board of Tax Appeals is offering the public these days. Of particular interest to me were the cases of Ald. John Pope (10th) and Cook County Commissioner Roberto Maldonado. Both Pope and Maldonado managed to cut their assessments ? and thereby reduce their taxes ? by simply completing the board's one-page complaint form, which asks for a little more than their name, address, property identification number and a signature. Now, most of you who have pursued this process over the years know that in the past the Tax Appeals Board also has asked you to submit your evidence that a mistake has been made. One of the most common methods of challenging your assessment is on the basis of uniformity. This involves identifying comparable properties, or "comps," in your neighborhood that have been assessed lower than you own. Properties of comparable value are supposed to be assessed uniformly (about the same). It's a little complicated to prepare the supporting documentation for a complaint because you have to find homes that are similar to your own, particularly in size, and you can't always tell that just by walking down the street. You also must determine the value the assessor has placed on those homes. Much of this information is now available on a Web site offered by the assessor, and the city has a Tax Assistance Center to advise you. Many township assessors in the suburbs also will gladly lend a hand. But it takes a little effort, and the board has always suggested the you also submit photos of your "comps," which can lead to the embarrassing situation of you walking up and down the street taking photos of your neighbors homes, causing them to open the door and holler questions about what kind of pervert you are. Most people are intimidated by the process or would rather not bother, which is a big part of the reason only 17,500 individuals filed complaints with the Board of Tax Appeals this year, even though 62 percent of those who did received a reduction. But Pope and Maldonado did not have to roam their neighborhood taking photos. They didn't have to comb through the microfiche down at the Board of Tax Appeals to find their comps. They didn't even have to call the offices of one of those other helpful politicians. All they did was submit their one-page complaint form. The staff at the Board of Appeals took it from there. They found the comps that would justify a reduction for Pope Maldonado. In Maldonado's case, they even took the unusual step of going miles outside his West Town neighborhood to identify homes in Austin that they counted as comparables. In Pope's case, they chose wood-frame homes comparable to his brick house. All in all, they were very accommodating. But before you jump to any conclusions about favoritism, the participants emphasize that the Board of Tax Appeals will do the same for anybody who files an appeal, and I say we should take them at their word, or at least make them back it up. I might have been skeptical myself, but Maldonado told me that he submitted his appeal in the same manner as hundreds of other mostly Latino property owners whom he assisted as part of an outreach program with Commissioner Joseph Berrios, one of the three members of the Board of Tax Appeals. You may recall my column on Maldonado as a golfing companion, so I am compelled to give him the benefit of the doubt. Anyhow, Robert Shaw, the Tax Appeals commissioner whose staff engineered Pope's assessment reduction, backs him up totally. "Anyone can file a complaint and we will have our staff look for the comparables," Shaw said, clarifying that he is referring to residential properties of six units or less. "There's nothing secret or sinister about that. Just file." Then you have it, right from the horse's mouth. You can call or visit one of Board of Tax Appeals' offices to get your complaint form. Property owners in Berwyn, Calumet, Cicero, Oak Park, River Forest, Riverside and Norwood Park townships are next in line on the board's calendar. I can't promise that the commissioners will do as good a job of fishing around for favorable comps as they did for Pope and Maldonado, but if they don't, let me know and we can talk about this again. CFAT News Source news@fairtaxes.net Board of Tax Appeals Wants To Help You Save |
