Cook County Assessor
James M. Houlihan

Cook County Assessor James M Houlihan has earned a reputation for his success in bringing fairness, uniformity and openness to the assessment process and for his innovative plans for property tax reform.

Since taking office in 1997, the Assessor has focused on developing an accurate and fair office while providing additional clarity to the assessment process.

• In addition, the Assessor has worked tirelessly towards both short-term and long-term property tax reform solutions.  He was responsible for the development and proposal of 7% expanded homeowner exemption, which has provided immediate property tax relief to homeowners in Cook County.   This provision saves homeowners money by further expanding the current homeowner exemption and by eliminating, for the purposes of calculating the tax bill, a portion of a home’s increase in taxable value.

In working to make the assessment process as fair, understandable and transparent as possible, the Assessor released detailed information on the valuation of the top 100 Loop office buildings in the City of Chicago as determined by their respective property values.

Other notable recent assessment initiatives include:

• Streamlining the Homeowner and Senior Exemption application process by announcing that already-eligible homeowners no longer need to reapply for the Exemptions each year;
• The expansion of Internet coverage to include more information, update the interactive assessment search function and include the capacity to download all the Assessor's Office forms and applications;
• The certification of a property tax incentive through the extension of the Class 9 Property Tax Incentive to encourage the construction of new, affordable multifamily rental housing;
• Creating a Community Liaison for Senior Citizens devoted to helping senior organizations, church groups, clubs and individuals.

The Assessor’s interest and understanding of property tax issues stems from his accomplished record in public service.

• Three terms in the state legislature;
• Aide to Chicago Mayor Harold Washington;
• Tax Reformer with the Fair Equity Tax Commission.

Houlihan represented Chicago's north lakefront (Lincoln Park/Lakeview) in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1972-1978. He was appointed co-chairman of the House Governmental Organization Committee and served as vice-chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

A life-long resident of Cook County, Houlihan is a graduate of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary (Mundelein, IL) with a B.A. in Philosophy (1965) and an S.T.B. in Theology (1967). He currently resides on Chicago's north side with his wife Anne Tighe. They have two sons, Mike and Dan.