Taxing agencies — including schools, parks, libraries and cities — sent property tax bills totaling $19.2 billion in 2024, up more than 180% from the $6.8 billion taxing districts required property owners to pay in 1995, according to the report.

Incumbent Toni Preckwinkle has spent the past 16 years as board president. Running against her was Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly, who has represented the city’s 42nd Ward since 2007.

Early voting sites opened in all of Chicago’s 50 wards Monday. Early voting also expanded to a total of 55 locations for suburban Cook County residents.

The measure is the latest in a series of delays because Illinois is the last to change state law in accordance with a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

First installment property tax bills are typically released in February and due in early March, but will be delayed by one month by an overhaul of the county’s property tax system plagued with problems.

Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos’ office has launched a new program that allows traffic citations to be transmitted to her office electronically, which she said will cut down on delays and improve overall efficiency.

Chief Judge Charles Beach had pledged to overhaul the county’s monitoring system following a high-profile arson attack on a Blue Line train last year, allegedly carried out by a man free on electronic monitoring.

Cook County has its first new chief judge in more than two decades after Charles Beach was sworn in to the position earlier this month.

Just 43 days after Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle introduced the spending plan that closed a $102.6 million gap in its general fund and a $108.8 million gap in its health fund, it sailed to final approval with little drama.

Some homeowners are searching for answers as they grapple with hefty property tax bills. A new report from the Cook County Treasurer’s Office said declining values for downtown commercial properties are shifting the tax burden onto homeowners.

The most recent reassessment of the value of Chicago properties resulted in a “record-setting” 16.7% increase in the median homeowner’s bill, according to a new analysis from Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ research team.

Second installment property tax bills are typically released in early July and due in early August, but have been delayed for nearly four months by an overhaul of the county’s property tax system plagued with problems.

Cook County is putting forth a $10.1 billion budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year. The plan includes no new taxes or fees, but officials warn of tough waters in the years ahead as potential federal funding cuts threaten to hit the county’s bottom line.

“We’re headed into pretty tough waters here, turmoil,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said. “And I would anticipate … next year, and particularly the years after next, we’re going to be in a very difficult place as the federal government reduces its support.”

A $15 million homeowner relief fund program aims to assist Cook County homeowners who have experienced a substantial increase in property taxes in recent years, officials announced during a Monday news conference.

A suburban Cook County resident in their 60s has died from the West Nile virus, the Cook County Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday. The risk of West Nile virus in suburban Cook County remains high, according to the public health agency.