From the office of Timothy O. Schneider, Cook County Commissioner…
Property Tax Information
Residents should have received their 2009 2nd installment property tax bills last week. The property tax bills are due December 13, 2010. Many people in the Northwest suburbs noticed an increase in their property tax bill this year. The Illinois Department of Revenue set a record high multiplier of 3.3701 to bring assessment in line with the rest of the state, up more than 13 percent from last year. When the General Assembly extended the 7 percent homeowners exemption the amount of the exemption decreased from $26,000 to $20,000.
It is important to remember that Cook County has not raised its property tax levy for 16 years. In addition, please note your property tax bill is now itemized, detailing exactly where your tax dollars are being spent (school district, municipality, township, county, ect.).
Make sure you are receiving any exemptions you may be entitled to, including the Long time occupant exemption. To qualify for the Long time occupant exemption: You must have lived in your home for ten years as of January 1, 2009. The household income must be below $100,000. The increase of assessed value has to exceed the 7% cap. Below is a link to view all other exemptions.
http://cookcountyassessor.com/exemptions.aspx
The Friends of Busse Woods
The Friends of Busse Woods was recently formed within 2010 with the mission to restore, restock, protect and preserve its natural lands together with their flora and fauna for the education, pleasure, and recreation of the public at Busse Woods. Busse Woods is located between Schaumburg, Rolling Meadows, Elk Grove Village and Arlington Heights.
This mission will be facilitated through the active recruitment of groups of volunteers through various organizations within the surrounding area. Volunteer groups will assist the Busse Woods Stewards as they work to restore Busse Woods through a volunteer management plan developed in cooperation with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.
You can learn more about the organization at www.bussewoods.net or contact Matt Haas at bussewoodsvolunteer@gmail.com if you know of a group that may be interested in volunteering within Busse Woods.
Do not Call List
Have you registered your phone number on the Do Not Call Registry?
It is easy to do, visit donotcall.gov for more information.
Registering your phone number on the registry will help cut down on the number of telemarketing calls you receive.