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Pappas: Last chance for homeowners to pay delinquent taxes

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas reminded property owners who have delinquent or outstanding property taxes due to avoid having their properties sold. Pappas said there are 45,000 property owners who are at risk and need to take immediate action. The total outstanding is $145 million

The clock is running out on 45,000 property owners to pay delinquent Cook County property taxes totaling $142 million that will be offered for auction at the Annual Tax Sale that begins May 3, 2019, Treasurer Maria Pappas said today.

The Tax Sale is for homes, businesses and land with unpaid bills for Tax Year 2017 (originally due in 2018). It is the first step in a process that can end with the loss of property.

“Your home is your most important investment,” Pappas said. “Don’t let a simple mistake like forgetting to pay your taxes threaten it.”

Maria Pappas Cook County Treasurer Office. Photo courtesy of the Cook County Treasurer's office — Maria Pappas Cook County Treasurer Office. Photo courtesy of the Cook County Treasurer’s office

Enter your address at cookcountytreasurer.com to:

• Apply for $43 million in missing senior citizen property tax exemptions

• Search for $86 million in available refunds

• Find out if your home is on the Tax Sale List for May 3

Among the properties with delinquent taxes:

• About 19,000 owners may be unaware of the Tax Sale because the U.S. Postal Service has returned their bills and subsequent notices

• Nearly 19,000 owe $1,000 or less

• About 1,000 homes are probably owned by senior citizens

• As many as 500 seniors would see their homes removed from the Tax Sale if they applied for property tax exemptions they received last year

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Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.