Villa Fighting to Expand Property Tax Exemptions for Cook County Seniors

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – To make property tax exemptions more easily accessible to Cook County homeowners, state Rep. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, is sponsoring legislation to reduce burdensome bureaucratic red tape on the property tax exemption application process.

“Many seniors rely on a fixed income to get by, and cannot afford to stay in their homes and pay skyrocketing property taxes. That’s why I am leading the fight on legislation that would make property tax exemptions more accessible to older homeowners in our local communities,” said Villa. “Property tax relief is a top priority of mine, especially for older homeowners that have worked hard to make our area home.”

Villa is sponsoring House Bill 833, which if passed would ensure that qualified seniors continue receiving their Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption without having to reapply every year.

“Cook County is the only county in the state where older homeowners are forced by state law to reapply for their homestead exemption each year, a timely and sometimes onerous process,” continued Villa. “This current practice is extremely burdensome, and could result in some homeowners missing out on savings that could make the difference between them being able to stay in their home or being forced to move.”

For more information, please contact Rep. Villa’s office at 630-326-9319 or StateRepKarinaVilla@gmail.com.