Deadline Here to Appeal Residential Property Reassessments in La Grange Park

If you own and occupy a primary residence in La Grange Park, or any other community situated in Proviso Township, today is the deadline to appeal your triennial reassessment with the Cook County Assessor. Otherwise, that valuation could be used to calculate your property taxes for 2011, which will be billed sometime next year.

There are three ways to file your appeal:

• In person at the County Assessor's main office, 118 N. Clark St. Room 320, in downtown Chicago, or at one of its four satellite offices. The nearest one is at 10200 S. 76th St., in Bridgeview.
• In person at the Proviso Township Assessor's office, located at 4565 W. Harrison St, in Hillside.
• Online at the Cook County Assessor's website. Click here for a link to the appeals page.

The online option is probably your best bet, unless you don't mind taking a number and waiting your turn, Roxanne Lesus, Proviso Township's deputy assessor, said.

The township office has been inundated with residents seeking help with their appeals since the reassessment notices were issued a month ago.

Regardless of how you choose to file, you will need to provide documentation supporting your argument that your assessment is too high.

The valuations proposed by the county reflect falling housing prices since the last reassessment took place in 2008.

The median assessed value of residential properties in Proviso Township decreased by nearly 23 percent, according to an Aug. 12 press release issued by the county assessor.

Although township assessors provide input in the reassessment process, the actual valuations are determined by the county assessor, relying heavily on mass-market appraisals based on recent real estate sales, Lesus said.

The data takes into account only "good" sales. Not factored in are foreclosures and short sales, which are increasingly common these days, she said.

Consequently, some homeowners may believe that their properties are worth less than the valuations determined by the county, she said.

Also, if you took out a permit to build an addition or other significant imrprovement to your home, but didn't follow through with the project, the county assessor's office may believe that you did, as it receives copies of all building permits and may have increased your home's value accordingly.

Homeowners may find the evidence they need to support their appeals in the substantial databases maintained by the township assessor, Lesus said. A visit to the Hillside office may therefore be worthwhile.

Even if you can't make it there today, file your appeal online, she said. You still have a couple weeks to file your documentation, and you can schedule a visit to Hillside on a day that is more convenient for you.

While there, you also can learn about several exemptions that can reduce your tax bill by hundreds of dollars or more. 

Missed the deadline?

In the event this story reaches you after the Sept. 12 deadline for appeals to the county, don't fret. Every homeowner reassessed this year will have a second opportunity to file an appeal when the Cook County Board of Review convenes later this year. That includes homeowners in the Village of La Grange and other communities situated in Lyons Township, whose reassessments were issued in July and whose deadline for filing an appeal with the county assessor was in August.

Lesus could not provide a specific number of the appeals her township has helped homeowners file since the reassessment notices were mailed out. But she said that so far this year the office had assisted more than 6,700 residents in filing both appeals and requests for exemptions.

"We're helping our taxpayers and that's what we're paid for," she said.

The phone number to the Proviso Township Assessor's office is (708) 449-4304. Hours: 8:30 am til 4:30 pm, Monday-Friday.