Cook County Board of Review Online Filing System Successful in First Year; Over 90,000 PIN Appeals Received Online

In its first year of operation, the Cook County Board of Review online filing system received appeals on more than 90,000 PINs for the 2011 tax appeal session. Property owners filed over 25% of their appeals online, including over 36% of all individual appeals. The online filing system is the first phase in modernizing the Cook County Board of Review and makes the appeal more open, more accessible, and easier for homeowners to navigate. The Cook County Board of Review is currently working with President Toni Preckwinkle and the Cook County Bureau of Technology in a cross-county collaboration to create a paperless office environment where appeals can be filed and heard electronically. The paperless project will improve services, increase transparency and accountability, create innovative leadership and increase fiscal responsibility at the Board of Review. “We are extremely pleased about the runaway success of the new online filing program for property tax appeals,” said Commissioner Michael Cabonargi, Chairman of the Board. “Online filing gives Cook County residents more access to their process. Along with our aggressive outreach program which brings our office to the neighborhoods and communities at night and weekends, we are making Cook County government easier to understand and more accessible,” Chairman Cabonargi added. “I want to thank the Assessor and his office for making this possible,” said Commissioner Larry R. Rogers Jr., the longest serving Board of Review Commissioner. “The Board of Review’s online filing system is an excellent example of how citizens can benefit from cooperation and collaboration among government officials and agencies.” In September 2011, the Cook County Board of Review introduced the first online filing system for property tax appeals. This system makes the appeal process easier, more accessible and more convenient for homeowners and property owners. The Board is working with the Bureau of Technology to convert the operations of the Board of Review into a paperless system that will ultimately save tax dollars and dramatically benefit taxpayers and the local taxing bodies such as schools, parks, libraries and local government services that rely on timely tax payments for their operations. “This is a perfect example of how investing a small amount of capital into an arcane system can have a huge effect, giving Cook County residents a government which is easier to use and understand,” added Board of Review Commissioner Dan Patlak. The Cook County Board of Review is a quasi-judicial independent agency responsible for adjudicating assessment appeals for all property in Cook County. The Board consists of three Commissioners elected in three distinct districts in Cook County. In the last ten years the board has seen a 200% increase in appeals filed without a substantial increase in technology and a decrease in funding. Please contact the Board of Review at (312) 603-5542 with any questions. For more information, please go to www.CookCountyBoardofReview.com.