Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
Your Mortgage Company May Pay Your Taxes — But You Still Need to Watch By Maria Pappas, Cook County Treasurer Every year, my office mails more than 1.8 million tax bills to property owners across Cook County. If you have a mortgage, your lender may collect money from you each month and put it in…
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The 5 Most Common Mistakes Homeowners Make with Property Taxes By Maria Pappas Every year, my office hears from thousands of homeowners who run into problems with their property taxes due to common errors. Here are the five most common mistakes homeowners make and what you can do to avoid them. Paying Twice for the…
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The Pappas Portal: Free News You Can Use By Maria Pappas When it comes to property taxes in Cook County, a lot of people feel like they’re staring at a 1,000-piece puzzle—and someone hid the box with the picture on the cover. That’s why I want to tell you about a tool that helps you…
What You’re Missing on Your Property Tax Bill By Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas Twice each year, my office mails out about 1.8 million tax bills to Cook County property owners. Most people glance only at the amount due—but your bill is much more than a dollar figure. It’s a detailed breakdown of how your…
Don’t Pay for What You Can Get for Free: How to Claim Your Property Tax Refunds By Maria Pappas Every year, many Cook County homeowners are bombarded with letters, emails and phone calls from vendors offering to help secure property tax refunds — for a fee. But here’s the truth: You don’t need to pay…
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Village of Orland Park Receives Clean Audit Opinion for Fiscal Year 2024 Audit Completed on Time for First Time in Three Years By Ray Hanania After former Mayor Keith Pekau attempted to politicize the Village of Orland Park’s financial spending and his growing debt by intentionally withholding the filing of financial audits in 2022 and…
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Jotaka Eaddy endorses Robin Kelly for U.S. Senate Jotaka Eaddy, founder of Win with Black Women and a nationally renowned business executive, social impact strategist and investor, today endorsed Robin Kelly for the U.S. Senate. “All of us win when we elect Robin Kelly to the U.S. Senate,” Eaddy said. “Robin is a proven fighter…
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John Harrell formally announces candidacy to succeed La Shawn Ford at West Side rally Community, religious, and elected leaders endorse Harrell for the 8th State House District at a press conference held at Macarthur Restaurant, 5412 W. Madison Street, Chicago, Monday, April 11, 2025 Chicago, IL – John Harrel formally announced his candidacy for the…
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We Can Help You Understand Your Property Taxes—In Nearly Any Language By Maria Pappas Understanding Cook County’s property tax system can be a challenge even for people born and raised here. Words like “assessments,” “exemptions,” and “multipliers” aren’t part of everyday conversation. For many homeowners, deciphering a tax bill feels like solving a puzzle. Now…
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How My Office Handles Billions — And Protects Every Penny By Maria Pappas Cook County Treasurer Two times a year, my office mails nearly 1.8 million property tax bills and collects over $18 billion. That’s not a typo — $18 billion. As Cook County Treasurer, I oversee the second-largest property tax collection and distribution system…
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Video Podcast on Trump’s problems with Jeffrey Epstein, Netanyahu’s coalition in jeopardy In the Video podcast, political columnist Ray Hanania and former Congressman Bill Lipinski discuss the Jeffrey Epstein controversy and its impact on President Trump; open rebellion among some MAGA Republicans including Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene over foreign aid and Epstein, the issue of…
Everything you need to know about your Property Index Number or PIN By Maria Pappas If you own property in Cook County, there’s one number you should always know: your PIN. That’s short for Property Index Number—a 14-digit code assigned to every piece of real estate in the county. It’s tied to the legal description…
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Property tax bills delayed in Orland Township Orland Township Assessor Rich E. Kelly made the following announcement Monday, June 30, 2025: When Cook County’s second installment property tax bills are sent on time, tax bills hit mailboxes in late June and are due around August 1, 2025. This year, however, the mailing and due dates…
Understanding Cook County Property Taxes: A Guide for Homeowners Your Property Taxes with Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas By Maria Pappas Navigating the complexities of the property tax system in Cook County can be daunting for homeowners. My hope is this column makes it less intimidating by breaking down a complex process into simple concepts….
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Cook County’s Annual Tax Sale to be Postponed for Seven Months Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas plans to postpone the Annual Tax Sale for seven months, during which time she hopes to work with legislators on comprehensive property tax foreclosure reform measures. At Pappas’s urging, the Illinois General Assembly last week passed legislation that allows…
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Your Property Taxes with Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas The levy: It’s not a dam, but it is a word you should know! By Maria Pappas Since I first stepped into my office 27 years ago, one question has repeatedly come up: “Why do my property taxes always go up?” It’s a valid concern. At…
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State GOP Chair Salvi applauds Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” President Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” passed the House of Representatives with the unwavering support of Illinois Republicans. A big thank you to Congressman Darin LaHood, Congressman Mike Bost, and Congresswoman Mary Miller for their leadership. This landmark legislation locks in key provisions of the Tax Cuts…
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The $2 Billion Wealth Transfer: How Cook County’s Property Tax Appeals System Rewards Businesses at the Expense of Homeowners By Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas After analyzing over 2 million Cook County property tax appeals filed between 2021 and 2023, researchers in my office uncovered a troubling trend: the system shifted nearly $2 billion in…