Letter to the Editor: Second Installment of Tax Bills Mailed

Editor's note: Oak Park Township Ali ElSaffar sent along this letter, along with a and what it means for taxpayers.

The second installment of 2010 property tax bills will arrive in the mailboxes of Oak Park residents in the first week of October, and will be due November 1.

Oak Park Township Assessor Ali ElSaffar advises Oak Park residents to carefully review their tax bills to be certain that they have received all property tax exemptions to which they are entitled.

“Iftaxpayers are eligible for Homeowner, Senior Citizen, or other exemptions but have not received them,they should call my office as soon as possible,” ElSaffar said. “With proper documentation, we can obtain a lower, alternate tax bill that reflects the value of the exemptions.”

ElSaffar noted that the increases in this year’s tax bills have nothing to do with the reassessment of Oak Park properties that occurred over the summer.

This is because property taxes are always paid one year late. Thus, the effect of the 2011 reassessment will not appear on tax bills until the fall of 2012. The tax bills arriving this week are the second installment of 2010 tax bills.

How and Where to Pay the Tax Bills

Taxpayers who make monthly tax escrow payments with their mortgages should not pay the tax bills if their mortgage companies have agreed to pay the taxes. To verify that mortgage companies have paid the taxes as agreed, taxpayers can check the ‘Payment Status’ option on the Cook County Treasurer’s web site, www.cookcountytreasurer.com.

Those who pay property taxes on their own can either mail their payments to the Cook County Treasurer, or pay in person. In person payments are accepted at the Treasurer’s downtown office located at 118 N. Clark Street or at any branch of Chase Bank.

Chase branches most convenient to Oak Park residents are located at , and in Oak Park, in River Forest, and 6612 W. North Avenue in Chicago.

Payments mailed or paid in person must be accompanied by a tax bill. Residents who have not received their tax bills can call the Oak Park Township Assessor’s office, which will pick up duplicate tax bills. Taxpayers can also pick up duplicate bills at the office of the Cook County Treasurer in downtown Chicago.

Taxpayers do not need a tax bill if they choose to pay their property taxes online. For a $1.00 convenience fee, taxpayers can make online payments at the Treasurer’s web site, www.cookcountytreasurer.com.