Next step: House Revenue Committee
information provided by the Cook County Assessor
Chicago, Ill. (April 17, 2019) – Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi announced on April 4 that SB 1379, the Data Modernization Bill, led by Senator Toi Hutchinson (D-40), passed the Illinois Senate in a bi-partisan vote of 36-16-1.
The Data Modernization Bill is the first legislative step toward meaningful property tax reform since Assessor Kaegi took office four months ago. The bill gives the Cook County Assessor’s Office the ability to collect operating income and expense data for income-generating properties (most smaller properties are exempt). Other counties, by County Board resolution, may opt in to this framework and authorize their assessors to collect this data.
This data will improve the accuracy of assessments for commercial property owners and help Assessor Kaegi deliver on a promise of fairer assessments throughout the County.
Led by Senator Toi Hutchinson and several other co-sponsors throughout Cook County and the state, the bill now heads to the Illinois House of Representatives where the House Revenue Committee will take it up before a full House vote.
The product of many months of conversations with stakeholders throughout the state, recent amendments to the bill address several key concerns on data security, confidentiality and penalties.
The Data Modernization Bill is supported by a number of organizations throughout Illinois, representing a variety of business, educational and civic groups as well as unions, school districts, and assessor’s offices throughout the state, including the Cook County Board of Commissioners; Mark Armstrong, Kane County Supervisor of Assessments; Warren Dixon, Naperville Township Assessor; BMO Harris Bank; Brookfield Properties Retail Group, owner of Water Tower Place; Abbell Associates’ Elizabeth Holland, former Chair of the International Council of Shopping Centers; and AFSCME 31.
