BGA: Cook County Treasurer Received Improper Property Tax Exemptions

October 17, 2012 9:30 PM " CHICAGO (CBS) - She’s the Cook County Treasurer - the woman responsible for collecting property taxes, but now the Better Government Association has found the county did not collect thousands of dollars it should have gotten from Maria Pappas and her husband years ago.

As CBS 2’s Pam Zekman reports, it’s the latest example of public officials claiming too many home owner’s exemptions.

While she was a Cook County Commissioner in the 1990s, Maria Pappas owned two Gold Coast condominiums in the Hancock Building, and her husband owned a home in Wilmette. All three properties had with homeowner’s exemptions on their property taxes.

“You can only get a homeowner’s exemption on your primary residence,” said BGA investigator Patrick Rehkamp, “You’re only allowed one; not two, not three.”

But an analysis by the Cook County Assessor’s office showed that, between 1991 and 1999, Pappas and her husband had three exemptions in place for six years and two exemptions in place for three years.

The result was $5,660 in unjustified tax savings.

“She should have known better,” said Rehkamp "

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