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The Latest Breaking News from Fritz Kaegi

Bally’s Medinah Temple temporary casino landlord Albert Friedman will hit $20 million jackpot under 4-year lease

Albert M. Friedman will get more than $16.5 million in rent and a $330,000 management fee under his four-year lease, obtained by the Sun-Times. Bally’s also must pay a property tax bill that’s topped $1.1 million a year.

Chicago Sun-Times

Arlington Park track’s property tax bill cut by half

The property tax bill for Arlington Park this year was reduced from $16.1 million to $7.8 million.

Chicago Sun-Times

Thousands of homeowners in north and northwest Cook County facing property tax sticker shock this fall

Figures from Schaumburg, Hanover, Barrington, New Trier and Norwood Park townships make clear homeowners are in for higher property taxes while many commercial landlords will take less of a hit.

Chicago Sun-Times

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Cook County property tax reforms can have unintended consequences

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi needs to examine how his model works in gentrifying communities.

Chicago Sun-Times

Cook County’s property tax system needs reform. Here’s how to fix it.

Accuracy in assessments, fair hiring, reforming the tax appeals process are some measures that must change, former Cook County Clerk David Orr writes.

Chicago Sun-Times

Hundreds gather to mourn slain Chicago Officer Andrés Mauricio Vásquez Lasso: ‘He had a lot ahead for him’

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, state Comptroller Susana Mendoza are among those paying respects to the officer shot and killed in a foot pursuit in Gage Park.

Chicago Sun-Times

New property tax incentive could remake Chicago neighborhoods into havens for affordable housing

CHICAGO — A new property tax incentive meant to create or preserve affordable housing is already generating results within Chicago’s newest downtown apartment towers and in neighborhoods across the South and West Sides. City officials, housing advocates and some builders say it could also ensure future development doesn’t keep families…

Chicago Tribune

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Is Chuy running away with race for Chicago mayor? Local 150 poll shows he is.

The poll of 700 likely Chicago voters conducted Nov. 10-17 by Impact Research shows U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia leading Mayor Lori Lightfoot by 7 percentage points in Round One and clobbering the incumbent in a runoff.

Chicago Sun-Times

Cook County property tax bills posted online after monthslong delay

The second-installment bills typically mailed by August were stalled by delays with the assessment process and a computer system upgrade in the county assessor’s office.

Chicago Sun-Times

Homeowners were in line for lower property tax bills. Here’s why they likely won’t get them.

The Cook County Board of Review often slashes commercial property assessments, saying it is just correcting mistakes by Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s office. But that results in higher taxes, mostly for homeowners, who deserve more transparency on the board’s operations.

Chicago Sun-Times

Lawmaker to block $50M for Near South Side high school until Lightfoot, CPS address community concerns

State Rep. Theresa Mah had been among the strongest backers of the idea to build a new high school. But she called the city’s plan “offensive” and politically motivated.

Chicago Sun-Times

Cook County tax bills on pace to arrive ‘by end of 2022’

Timeline tight to get bills out in time for property owners to claim a hefty deduction with the IRS.

Chicago Sun-Times

How UIC has cost Cook County taxpayers $1.2 million

The university never told county officials it was leasing to a preschool — which could be on the hook for over $800,000 in property taxes. So the bills went to a past tenant — which refused to pay the county over $400,000 in taxes but was allowed to renew its…

Chicago Sun-Times

Cook County homeowners told to pay up for tax breaks they shouldn’t have received, Illinois Dems’ assault weapons ban and more in your Chicago news roundup

Today’s update is a 5-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.

Chicago Sun-Times

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Chicago Sun-Times

Pay up, Cook County orders homeowners after Sun-Times exposed wrongful property tax breaks

After Sun-Times reports exposed questionable tax breaks, Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi tells four people to pay a total of $254,298 for years of tax breaks they shouldn’t have gotten.

Chicago Sun-Times

Kaegi leading Steele in early returns after tough fight for Cook County assessor

Cook County Assessor Frederick “Fritz” Kaegi was trying to fend off challenger Kari Steele. And in the Board of Review’s 1st District, first-term incumbent Tammy Wendt faced Chicago Ald. George Cardenas.

Chicago Sun-Times

Steele-Kaegi match for Cook County assessor revolves around calls for, reform, transparency, fairness

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi argues he has instituted key reforms in the relatively obscure office, but Democrat challenger Kari Steele, the president of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, says he’s done more harm than good.

Chicago Sun-Times

In Cook County, governments have lost $89.7 million, letting tenants skip out on property taxes

They lease public property to businesses. Many don’t pay their taxes. And the government landlords do little to monitor this, even when the law requires it, a Sun-Times investigation finds.

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Chicago Sun-Times

By flouting ethics rules, tax commissioner sends wrong message to taxpayers

Board of Review Commissioner Tammy Wendt should abide by the ruling from the Cook County Board of Ethics.

Chicago Sun-Times

After years of not paying property taxes, Chinatown mall’s owners face a new tax problem

A hoped-for county bailout failed. An appeal to Assessor Fritz Kaegi cut only a portion of the $2.4 million Chinatown Square owed. Now, its taxes have been auctioned off.

Chicago Sun-Times

Kaegi hits Trump Tower with big tax increase a year after slashing its taxes

The Cook County assessor says the value of the downtown skyscraper’s mostly vacant retail space is 68% higher than it was last year — when he lowered its value by 37%.

Chicago Sun-Times

Under Fritz Kaegi, Cook County’s property tax system is undeniably more fair

Kaegi took steps on behalf of struggling homeowners and small businesses who had previously suffered under well-documented unfairness, inequities, inaccuracy and unethical behavior during the Joe Berrios administration.

Chicago Sun-Times

Kaegi botched COVID tax relief

The Cook County assessor cut values based on jobs he thought neighborhoods would lose due to the pandemic. It was a wild miscalculation that worked out well for some, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot, not so well for residents of a poor South Side neighborhood.

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