Cook County Assessor James Houlihan isn't going quietly into retirement.
In a press conference yesterday, Houlihan said Joseph Berrios, the board of review commissioner running for assessor, is intentionally holding up property tax assessments to better position himself in the November election.
As the Tribune reports:
Houlihan said Berrios is slowing the work of the review board to make sure Cook County voters aren't angered before the election by higher tax bills. A cap on property-tax assessments will end in the city this year and is being phased out in the suburbs. Those caps have have limited property tax increases for many homeowners.
But Berrios and his allies were quick to criticize Houlihan, saying he was trying to deflect his own failings and politicizing the housing market.
"This is not something you play politics with," Berrios said at a press conference yesterday, adding that Houlihan was late in determining assessments. "If you get it right the first time, then guess what: The Board of Review would not be hearing so many cases."
The Board of Review sent a letter to the County Board's finance committee last week backing up Berrios' assertion.
Republican candidate for Cook County Board president Roger Keats said Houlihan's comments shouldn't come as a surprise.
"This is business as usual. Jim Houlihan is just admitting what all of us already know. The Cook County Property tax system is a dysfunctional disaster," he said in a statement.
That the property-tax question would become an issue in November has been whispered for some time, going so far as to include Mayor Richard M. Daley in the mix.
Last week, the County Board's finance committee voted to borrow $332 million for capital improvements, including installing new technology in the assessor's office to make hasten the processing of property tax bills.
Complaints of homeowners receiving incorrect assessments are ongoing.