Assessor Kaegi shows support for legislation to expand property tax savings for homeowners

Cook County – Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi expressed his support for several bills passed through the state legislature this session that will expand access to exemptions for Cook County residents.

The provisions that now go to Governor Pritzker for final approval will:

• Automatically renew participation in the Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption, which provides tax savings to residents 65 years of age and older. In 2019, the state legislature created a pilot program to auto-renew the exemption. As a result, the past five years have seen a significant increase in the number of seniors enrolled in the program, and a sharp decline in the number of seniors forced to file certificates of error to correct past tax bills. This legislation makes the pilot program permanent. (This exemption is distinct from the Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Exemption, commonly known as the “Senior Freeze.”)

• Expand the Veterans with Disabilities Exemption, including a change to completely exempt homes owned by World War II veterans from property taxation.

• Require the Cook County Treasurer’s Office to include a list of homestead exemptions and contact information for the Cook County Assessor’s Office on residential tax bills, so that the recipient can apply for any exemptions they may qualify for but have not received.

“By passing these amendments to existing exemptions, the state legislature is doing its part to make access to tax savings more equitable across Cook County,” said Assessor Kaegi. “I look forward to continuing to work with lawmakers and other officials to implement these reforms.”