Written By, ALICIA FABBRE – CHICAGO TRIBUNE – PIONEER PRESS, 6/16/20 Anticipating a drop in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Barrington School District 220 school board members agreed to trim the district’s budget for next fiscal year by $1 million. The move, approved at the June 2 board meeting, would put a hold on Read More …
Other Ways You Can Reduce your Lake County Property Tax Burden!
Written by Ron Kingsley Lake County Appeal, Owner and Tax Attorney If Lake County Appeal (“LCA”) can reduce your Lake County property’s assessed value, your property tax burden will decrease. Additionally, there are many exemptions available to taxpayers that can reduce the liability even more. Make certain that you are receiving all of Read More …
How LCA is here for our clients
Written By Jill Odzer Lake County Appeal, Commercial Analyst A lot is going on in the world; pandemic, natural disasters, and protests. Although LCA cannot do anything about these real and profoundly serious issues, we can do our part to lessen our clients’ stress over property taxes. Our staff is working from home Read More …
Lake County residents pay some of the highest property taxes in the nation
Written by Joe Barnas, Budget & Tax www.IllinoisPolicy.org As property tax bills hit Lake County mailboxes, residents get a stark reminder that Illinois needs pension reform, not higher taxes. Lake County homeowners last year paid higher property taxes – averaging $9,186 – than any other Illinois county, and the new bills are arriving in the Read More …
Renewal Applications for Senior Freeze, Disabled Persons and Disabled Veterans Homestead Exemptions Will Not Be Required This Year Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
Written By, Lake County, IL Chief County Assessment Office, 6/15/20 Lake County residents who in 2019 applied for and received the Senior Citizen Freeze Homestead Exemption, the Homestead Exemption for Persons with Disabilities, and the Standard Homestead Exemption for Veterans With Disabilities will not be required to re-apply for those exemptions in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More …
Column: ‘Red states, blue states — they all need the money,’ U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly says of stalled tax relief bill
Written By, Ted Slowik, Chicago Tribune – Daily Southtown, May 26, 2020 The economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic is creating talk of tax relief from the halls of Congress to county treasurer’s offices. Policymakers seem to want to offer relief to businesses fighting to stay afloat during stay-at-home orders and homeowners struggling Read More …
‘Vastly abused and mismanaged’ underperforming TIF districts may be result of non-restrictive state statutes
Written By, Drew Zimmerman – Lake County Journal, May 28, 2020 • Editor’s note: This is part two of three stories on the performance of tax increment financing. In 2018, a total of 29 active tax increment financing districts existed within Community Unit District 300 based in Algonquin, leading to overall EAV growth of $296 million. Read More …
Half Of Property Tax Payments Deferred By 60 Days In Lake County
The Lake County Board voted to allow taxpayers to divide their property tax bills into four installments because of the COVID-19 pandemic. By Jonah Meadows, Patch Staff May 13, 2020 1:21 pm CT|Updated May 14, 2020 9:36 am WAUKEGAN, IL — A divided Lake County board voted Tuesday to extend property tax deferrals to all Read More …
Home Is Where The Hurt Is: How Property Taxes Are Crushing Illinois’ Middle Class.
Written By, by Austin Berg, Director of Content Strategy – Illinois Policy Joel Schurtz lived all across the U.S. before coming to Illinois. He took promising job opportunities where he could find them, from California to Alabama. His wife, Michelle, and their three young children would follow. “Our family always had a plan,” Read More …
Property tax relief program leads Waukegan District 60 to take out new line of credit.
(Plus note: Lake County Board’s property tax deferred payment program link within article.) Written By, Emily Coleman, Chicago Tribune – Lake County News-Sun, May 15, 2020 The financial uncertainty caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic led Waukegan District 60 to pursue a $10 million line of credit it can use if need be. Read More …
When Is Best to Sign Up for An Assessment Review?
Written by Ron Kingsley, Lake County Appeal Owner, and Tax Attorney 5/20/20 Taxpayers Should Sign-Up Annually for An Assessment Review Lake County Appeal’s residential clients frequently ask: Should I sign up every year? Our answer is always the same (regardless of whether we found a property to be assessed fairly in the previous year, Read More …
MORE ILLINOIS COUNTIES OFFER PROPERTY TAX DELAYS TO EASE COVID-19 LOSSES
Written by, Illinois Policy – Ben Szalinski – Budget + Tax – April 29, 2020 Property tax delays give breathing room to homeowners, many of whom have gone more than a month without a paycheck because of the COVID-19 pandemic. More Illinois counties have approved plans to delay property tax payments, offering Read More …
What is Going to Happen with My Property Taxes?
Written by Jill Odzer Lake County Appeal, Commercial Analyst As I write this, it appears the world is completely crazy. Covid-19, quarantine, social distancing, PPE – Personal Protective Equipment (I didn’t even know what that was a month ago!) and so much more. For property taxes in Lake County, it is business as usual. Property Read More …
Lake County Board Authorizes Deferred Payments For Hardship Due to COVID-19
Written By Lake County IL, Treasurer’s Office News Posted on: May 12, 2020 Lake County, IL- The Lake County Board passed an ordinance for deferred payment of property taxes as a result of hardship due to the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic. “We all want to help families and residents who are facing economic Read More …
ILLINOIS PROPERTY TAXES RANK NO. 2 IN THE NATION FOR THIRD YEAR RUNNING
Written By Brad Weinstein, Illinois Policy, Budget & Tax MARCH 2, 2020 Property taxes in Illinois are nearly double the national average. Until state lawmakers trim down thousands of local governments and pursue pension reform, those bills wills remain high. The average American family spends $2,375 on property taxes for their home, but the Read More …
Lake County residents getting partial reprieve on property tax payments
Written by, Daily Herald – Mick Zawislak, 5/12/20 Lake County taxpayers can defer half their property tax payments for 60 days under a measure approved Tuesday to provide residents with some economic breathing room. And in a significant change over what was being considered, a proposed requirement that residents show a need for the Read More …
Column: Property tax plague waiver needed for Lake County homeowners
By CHARLES SELLE – Chicago Tribune, LAKE COUNTY NEWS-SUN, APR 20, 2020 Government giveth, and government taketh away. The giving was from economic impact payments from the federal government which were deposited in bank accounts across Lake County last week. The taking will be as county property owners get their real estate tax bills Read More …
As the coronavirus spreads, a question: ‘Will mortgage rates stay low?’
Written By Ann Carrns, THE NEW YORK TIMES, March 18, 2020 “Will mortgage rates remain low?” Probably, for the time being. It’s a question many homeowners, and potential homebuyers, are asking. But with uncertainty rampant, thanks to turbulent financial markets and the spreading coronavirus, it’s hard to say for sure just how long they’ll Read More …
It’s Time to Do the Things You Keep Putting Off. Here’s How
If you’re lucky enough to have a job that lets you shelter in place while you work, here are some ways to stay productive in your downtime. Written By, Lauren Goode, Wired, Apple News, 3.25.20 So you’re stuck at home. Let’s assume, for a brief moment of Best Case Scenario, that’s the worst of Read More …
Illinois is the least tax-friendly state, especially for homeowners, report says
Property taxes in Chicago really add up Written By, Curbed Chicago, Chicago Real Estate Reports – Sara Freund, January 24, 2020 Illinois is the least tax-friendly state in the country, according to a Kiplinger report, especially for homeowners. Plus, new assessments led to big changes for some homeowners—as much as 11 percent increases in property tax Read More …
More than corn in Indiana? Illinois needs to stop driving residents next door
Written by Chicago Sun Times Contributor, Orphe Divounguy, chief economist for the Illinois Policy Institute, February 13, 2020 Chicago and Illinois can’t tax their way out of this crisis. The only way property taxes can go down is for lawmakers to get the state’s biggest expense — public pensions — under control. “There’s Read More …
2020 Senior Freeze Information
Lake County Illinois, March 3, 2020 Limited Income Seniors Are Encouraged to Apply for the Senior Freeze Exemption, Which Can Help Lower Property Tax Bills Property owners age 65 and older who have total household incomes of $65,000 or less are encouraged to apply for the Senior Citizen’s Assessment Freeze. This program may reduce property Read More …
Lake County home values hurt most by 2017 tax law
Among about 3,100 U.S. counties, Lake ranks fifth in the damage done to future home values as a result of the cap on property tax deductions enacted two years ago. Written By, Dennis Rodkin – Crain’s Chicago Business – 10/30/19 Home values in Lake County are among those hurt the most by the Read More …
Despite passing a record income tax hike in 2017, Illinois’ pension health remains the nation’s worst, according to one of the world’s leading credit rating agencies.
Written by, Adam Schuster, Director of Budget & Tax Research – Illinois Policy Institute, 9/24/19 Despite passing a record income tax hike in 2017, Illinois’ pension health remains the nation’s worst, according to one of the world’s leading credit rating agencies. A new report from Moody’s Investors Service shows in fiscal year 2018, Illinois’ unfunded pension Read More …
Blue Assessment Notices Arriving, Finally!
By Lake County Appeal – 9/23/19 After a long summer of waiting for the Lake County Assessor to publish the 2019 property assessments, we have begun to see rapid movement. We are expecting property assessments in all 18 Lake County townships to be released by October 17. Lake County Appeal (LCA) is ready to Read More …
Home is where the hurt is: How property taxes are crushing Illinois’ middle class.
Written By, by Austin Berg, Director of Content Strategy – Illinois Policy Joel Schurtz lived all across the U.S. before coming to Illinois. He took promising job opportunities where he could find them, from California to Alabama. His wife, Michelle, and their three young children would follow. “Our family always had a plan,” Read More …
Administrative Bloat.
Written by, Adam Schuster, Director of Budget & Tax Research – Illinois Policy Illinois spends the most in the Midwest per student on education. But instead of going to classrooms, a big chunk of that money props up bloated education bureaucracy. Over 9,000 school administrators earned more than $100,000 per year, and they’ll Read More …
Illinois’ two major income tax hikes were major failures.
Written By, Austin Berg, Director of Content Strategy – Illinois Policy Illinois’ two major income tax hikes were major failures. That’s the takeaway from Illinois’ 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, or CAFR. It’s one of the state’s most important financial documents. And in true Illinois fashion, it was published 245 days late – Read More …
When Will My Blue Assessment Notice Arrive?
By Lake County Appeal – 8/6/19 2019 assessment notices have not yet been released. First notices (Antioch Township) will be released on 8/16/19, with most others to follow in September. Lake County Appeal (LCA) is ready to begin reviewing your new assessment to bring you property tax justiceSM ! Wondering why these dates are so Read More …
When Is Best To Sign Up For An Assessment Review?
Written by, Ron Kingsley, Lake County Appeal Owner and Tax Attorney 8/5/19 Taxpayers Should Sign-Up Annually for An Assessment Review. Lake County Appeal’s residential clients frequently ask: Should I sign up every year? Our answer is always the same (regardless of whether we found a property to be fairly assessed in the previous year or we filed a successful Read More …