Comparison of Taxes Paid
McCotter's Neighborhood vs Ours

Both of these neighborhoods are taxed as  Jefferson Park Community.  For the most part the homes are bungalows.   We chose one particular street in our community that reflects the homes  in the area.  It was chosen arbitrarily and it's named Monitor.

We did this analysis foreseeing that someone would  claim that the people who live on McCotter's street pay more in taxes so  they should get better service. This rationale is incorrect, for all the  people should get the same service, regardless of taxes paid.

For those that want to claim that tax bills reflect  building structure, how many bathrooms, etc. then it should be noted  that most of the homes in our area are older structures (oldest is  approximately 130 years old at the time of this writing).  As such, the property taxes should  be far less for these vintage structures.  This is reflected in the  hocus pocus number called the Estimated Market Value, as seen in the  Cook County Assessor's information.  Click on any link in the  Property Index Number to find that information.  It should be noted  that in McCotter's area, the Estimated Market Value is a great deal  higher than our neighborhood.  Note:  the Cook County  Assessor's Office has changed the method for looking at the information  so that the link to the Property Index Number (PIN) does not work.

If one takes the perspective that we're essentially  comparing apples with apples, then the comparison shows that McCotter's  neighborhood pays 2 cents more per square foot, irrespective of  structure.  Yet, if you have had the chance to browse over the  photos of the park, you'll see a tremendous disparity.  We  recommend taking a drive in our neighborhood and physically see how the  city has neglected us.  Furthermore, the Estimated Market Value is  far greater than that of the buildings in our area.  This  translates into over taxation in our community.  In other words,  our houses are worth less but we are paying almost the same as the  higher valued homes in McCotter's community.

Not only are the residents in our community neglected  in terms of infrastructure and "cosmetics" but city services as well.   The 25th District under the direction of Commander McCotter of the  Chicago Police Department, have been negligent in providing safe  neighborhoods for more than three decades.

McCotter's Neighborhood

Our Neighborhood

McCotter's neighborhood pays $.31 per square ft.  Our community  pays $.29 per square ft.  However, Estimated Property Values are a  lot higher in McCotter's area than in ours.  Thus, we are being  over-taxed and underserved.

Highlights...

Although our community pays only 2 cents less, we also have the  added burden of more houses per block and therefore more people per  block.  This has become more prominent in recent years with the  influx of families with many children and other family members.

It should be noted that many of the links that are published have been altered by the new Cook County Assessor, Joseph Berrios.  So, if you click on a link and it does not work then you should understand why.