Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
The 5 Most Common Mistakes Homeowners Make with Property Taxes Column: Your Property Taxes with Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas 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…
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Treasurer Maria Pappas Recognizes Cinco de Mayo with Celebration of Mexican Heritage Featuring Mariachi Music, Live Horses, and an Art Exhibit Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas marked Cinco de Mayo on May 5 with a public celebration honoring the deep cultural roots and lasting contributions of the Mexican diaspora in Chicagoland. The event featured live…
Cook County Treasurer Pappas and Alliance of Polish Clubs President Mirowska-Kopec recognize Polish population by honoring local leaders ahead of Polish Constitution Day Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas will attend the raising of the Polish Flag over Daley Plaza on Friday, May 1 at noon. Afterwards, along with Alliance of Polish Clubs USA President Lucja…
Pappas and Consul General Anton Lungu Honor Moldovan National Flag Day in Chicago at Flag Raising and Reception Honoring Civic Leaders Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas will participate in the raising of the Moldovan tricolor over Daley Plaza at 12:00 p.m. today Monday, April 27, in downtown Chicago followed by a reception in her Clark Street office….
Your Property Taxes with Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas: You May Be Owed Money For Overpaying Property Taxes Up To 20 Years Ago By Maria Pappas My office is managing $105 million in potential refunds for property tax overpayments going back 20 years that I’m eager to send back to property owners. But determining who’s…
Your Property Taxes with Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas: Thirty Years of Runaway Property Taxes Demand Action By Maria Pappas Since I came into this office in 1998, there’s been one constant, the inexorable rise of property tax bills. To better understand why, my office conducted a 30-year analysis of property tax data. The findings…
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas recognizes Assyrian New Year by honoring civic, business and community leaders Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas (middle) celebrated the Assyrian New Year of 6776 by welcoming dozens of civic, business and community leaders to her downtown office for an afternoon of traditional Assyrian song and dance. The Assyrian New Year,…
Video promotion for Richard Boykin candidate for the 7th Congressional District Richard Boykin, a candidate for the 7th Congressional District election to succeed Congressman Danny Davis, released the following promotional video that includes endorsements of some of the region’s most important public servants and community leaders. View the video at the bottom of this report….
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Pappas says pay property tax bills online now at cookcountytreasurer.com Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas will mail nearly 1.8 million Tax Year 2025 First Installment property tax bills by March 2. Payments are due Wednesday, April 1, 2026. But if you want the peace of mind that comes from paying early, you can make payments…
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Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas to Help Hispanic Homeowners Search for Refunds During February 19 Phone Bank with Telemundo Chicago Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas is partnering again with Telemundo Chicago’s consumer unit, Telemundo Responde, to host a special phone bank, “Las Casas Latinas Importan,” on Thursday, February 19. The event will help Hispanic homeownersdetermine,…
Preckwinkle and Pappas announce on-time First Installment tax bills, ensuring prompt distributions to taxing agencies Property owners face an important tax deadline in the coming weeks, and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Treasurer Maria Pappas are encouraging residents to plan ahead and take advantage of available payment tools. First Installment property tax bills…
Regional leaders endorse John Harrell for 8th Illinois House District Chicago, IL – More than a dozen elected officials and regional leaders have endorsed John Harrell for the 8th Illinois House District representing the West Side of Chicago and West suburban communities. The co-founder of Black Men United and Pastor of both Proviso M.B.C. in…
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How a Treasurer’s Office Study Closed a Loophole that Allowed Wealthy Investors to Siphon Hundreds of Millions of Dollars from Low-Income areas For years, wealthy investors exploited loopholes in the property tax system to funnel money from local schools and governments into their collective wallets. But the loopholes were closed after a Cook County Treasurer’s…
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas Endorses Richard Boykin for 7th Congressional District Seat Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas is throwing her support behind former Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin in his quest to become the next US Congressman in the 7th District. In her video announcement, Pappas points out that Boykin was one of her…
Illinois lets senior citizens defer up to $7,500 a year in property taxes By Maria Pappas Illinois offers senior citizens a property tax relief program that works like a loan. The Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Program allows qualifying seniors to defer or postpone the payment of up to $7,500 a year in property…
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Financial planning tool offers free online help to budget late tax payments By Maria Pappas Property owners unable to pay their tax bills in full by the Dec. 15 due date should look at our free online financial planning tool that helps you make smaller, more manageable payments over time. It’s called the Payment Plan…
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Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas column explores options to help pay property taxes by Dec. 15 If you can’t pay your taxes by the December 15 due date, there’s a 13-month payment plan available! Register now at CookCountyTreasurer.com. Second-Installment Cook County property taxes are due Dec. 15, for nearly 1.8 million Cook County properties. That…
Homeowners shocked by tax hikes should read bills to find out where their money goes By Maria Pappas Record-high increases in property tax bills have angered many Cook County property owners. My office has released an analysis of the nearly 1.8 million tax bills. It showed that in Chicago the median tax bill jumped 16.7%,…
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