News

County Board Of Review To Digitize, Streamline Property Tax Appeals System

Commissioner Dan Patlak was quoted in an article in the Journal & Topics Newspaper today:

The Cook County Board of Review announced a re-engineering and automation project that will replace the current manual paper-intensive appeal process. The board has engaged Databank LLC, an imaging and information management solutions firm, to create a new technology driven system.

The board of review processes over 400,000 property tax assessment appeals a year. Databank will re-engineer the BOR’s current operations using their OnBase software. This system will simplify the appeal process for taxpayers by allowing evidence to be filed online, reduce costs associated with paper printing and file storage, streamline operations by eliminating the need to physically circulate hundreds of thousands of paper files analysts review each year, and increase overall efficiency of the office.

 

“This is a milestone step in the board’s history. As we have experienced an increased number of appeals each year, investing in 21st century technology that allows us to keep pace with increased demand became vital to the continued success of our office,” said Commissioner Dan Patlak.

In August, engineers from Databank will begin working with BOR professionals to clone the manual system into a state-of-the-art digitized process that will be able to accommodate the board’s ever increasing workload. Initial implementation of the re-engineered system is slated for the 2015 assessment appeal session. The 2014 assessment session opens Aug. 4.

The Cook County Board of Review is a quasi-judicial elected office responsible for adjudicating assessment appeals for all property in Cook County. Patlak, of Wheeling, represents the 1st District of the Board of Review, which encompasses 90% of Suburban Cook County and part of the 19th and 41st & 45th wards of Chicago.

 

Board of review cooperates for success

Dan Patlak's Letter To The Editor was published in the Daily Herald:

Cook County homeowners have received their second installment property tax bill for 2013. While most folks don't enjoy receiving their bill, there is good news this time. After more than 30 years of late billing, for the third year in a row, the bills have gone out on time.

The Board of Review has worked in a nonpartisan way to end late billing. With help from other offices, we are doing so -- to the benefit of all taxpayers.

The 2013 property tax appeal sessions, in which property owners exercise their right to ask the Board of Review to check their taxes for fairness, saw over 402,000 requests, the third-highest number in board history. We took that amount in stride, thanks to comprehensive modernization. In fact, we finished a week ahead of schedule, enabling the on-time billing.

Property owners now know when to expect their tax bills. That helps them budget. Also, their local units of government, from school boards to villages, and many others, will receive their property tax proceeds from the county on time. That saves the local governments and, ultimately, the taxpayers themselves, high costs of borrowing to fill budget gaps left by late payments due to late billings.

None of this happened by accident. Respectful working relationships with the assessor, treasurer and county clerk are key.

The board made its own commitment to improving the status quo. We embraced technology and promoted a culture that supports change. Establishing a first ethics manual for the board helped morale and instilled professional pride.

Also, this year will mark the fourth consecutive Board of Review Annual Report. It's available at www.cookcountyboardofreview.com.

Democrats and Republicans can actually work together to make effective and efficient government. The Cook County Board of Review makes it happen every day.

Dan Patlak
Commissioner
Cook County Board of Review

A Safe Haven 2014 Run

Dan Patlak and his team participated in this year's A Safe Haven 5k run with 109 Team Patlak runners.  Team Patlak was the #1 fundraising team bringing in over $11,000 to help aid homeless veterans!  Thanks to everyone who came out and made this effort a great success!

Co-founder and President of A Safe Haven Foundation Neli Vazquez-Rowland sends along the following: "Congratulations & Thank you Team Patlak Republicans! On behalf of all of us at A Safe Haven Foundation, and the people we serve. Because of your commitment and dedication to the cause of helping lift people out of poverty and homelessness more people and more Veterans will get the help that they need to become self-sufficient. Thank you for being a great example of servant leadership on behalf of all citizens."

 

2014 Cook County Board Of Review Pre-File Now Available

The Board of Review is now accepting pre-filed appeals on-line for the 2014 assessment appeal year at www.cookcountyboardofreview.com from residential property owners filing on their own behalf without representation from an attorney.  

This is the earliest the Board of Review has ever accepted pre-filed appeals. The Board will not accept evidence from appellants until the township in which the appellant's property is located opens for appeal.  Property owners who pre-file on-line will receive an e-mail from the Board of Review notifying them when their township opens and instructing them to mail or deliver their evidence to the Board.  Allowing individuals to pre-file means that homeowners will no longer need to constantly track when their township will open, thus eliminating the possibility they may miss their appeal window.

Join Team Patlak in the 2014 Safe Haven 5K

Join Commissioner Dan Patlak and the Team Patlak Republicans for the 4th Annual Safe Haven 5K Race on Sunday July 13th at 8:00am.  Download our flyer for information on joining Dan's Team!

Brendan Seyring Earns The Certified Illinois Assessor Officer (CIAO) Designation

Congratulations to Board of Review Analyst Brendan Seyring on earning his CIAO designation from the Illinois Property Assessment Institute.

Elly Drake Earns The Certified Illinois Assessor Officer (CIAO) Designation

Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Dan Patlak announced that Commercial analyst Elly Drake has earned the Certified Illinois Assessor Officer (CIAO) designation. Administered by the Illinois Property Assessment Institute, the CIAO designation requires 90 hours of classroom instruction and a passing grade in each class. Drake has been a member of Commissioner Patlak’s staff since December of 2010. 

Drake holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Political Science from Loyola University and is a part-time, evening student at Chicago-Kent College of Law. Drake is fluent in Spanish, Greek and French, using her language skills to assist non-English speaking taxpayers file their appeals at the Board of Review. 

“We are very happy that Elly invested the time and money necessary to earn the CIAO designation,” said Commissioner Dan Patlak. “One of my campaign promises was to improve the professional qualifications of our Board analysts. That’s why we have worked with the IPAI and IDOR to conduct four of their classes right here at the Board of Review. Over the next several years we expect many of our analysts to earn the CIAO designation as well.” 

Commercial/Industrial Analyst Doug LaSota from Patlak’s staff, also recently obtained his CAIO designation.

Board of Review Analyst Doug LaSota Receives CIAO Designation

Chicago--Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Dan Patlak announced today that Commercial/Industrial analyst Doug LaSota has earned the Certified Illinois Assessor Officer designation. The CIAO designation administered and awarded by the Illinois Property Assessment Institute requires 90 hours of classroom instruction and a passing grade in each class. Classes include Basic Assessment Practices, Property Valuation, Introduction to Mass Appraisal Techniques, Introduction to Residential Assessment Practices and Introduction to Sales Ratio Studies. Classes were administered by the Illinois Property Assessment Institute and the Illinois Department of Revenue. The CIAO designation is required for anyone who wishes to run for Township Assessor and requires 60 hours of additional class time every four years in order to keep current. Doug LaSota has been a member of Commissioner Patlak's staff since December of 2011. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law and a LL.M. in taxation from New York University School of Law.

"We are very happy that Doug invested the time and money necessary to earn the CIAO designation," said Commissioner Dan Patlak. "One of my campaign promises was to improve the professional qualifications of our Board analysts. That's why we have worked with the IPAI and IDOR to conduct four of their classes right here at the Board of Review. Over the next several years we expect many of our analysts to earn the CIAO designation as well," concluded Patlak.

The Cook County Board of Review is a quasi-judicial office run by three independently elected officials who represent three separate districts within the county. The Board reviews property assessment appeals from owners of industrial, commercial, residential and vacant property within Cook County. Commissioner Patlak was first elected to a two year term in 2010 and re-elected to a four-year term in 2012. His district (#1) includes most of suburban Cook County. Patlak holds a bachelor's degree from Valparaiso University, is a licensed Real Estate Broker, CIAO, Graduate of the Real Estate Institute and served as an analyst at the Board of Review from January 1999 to December 2006. He lives in Wheeling with his wife Dulce and twelve year old son Teddy.

Letter From Taxpayer

Dear Commissioner Patlak,

It is with deep appreciation that I am writing this letter to say THANK YOU for coming out to New Trier Township last night to explain what the Board of Review does, the grounds for appeal and property tax exemptions to the home owners.

It was my first time attending this kind of hearing and meeting on property tax. It was not only an eye- opening experience for me, but an educational one. Thank you so very much for taking your time to meet all of us. Thank you for offering your expertise on the subjects and for providing answers to all the questions from the audience.

I would also like to mention that the other three staff members of the Board of Review were genuine and helpful at the end of the meeting. Today I received an email from the Board of Review that acknowledged the receipt of my complaint, which made me feel hopeful that the Board is caring about people's needs and that the Board is highly efficient with today's technologies.

Thank you very much for the good work you have done. Your leadership to the Board of Review will make it a fine government to the people in the Township.

Sincerely Yours,
Lucinda Yang

Northwest Suburban Republican Picnic

Dan Patlak and his crew attended the most successful Northwest Suburban Republican picnic in many years.

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