It was a full-house today in the Thompson Center. Attorneys, Tax Reps and Appraisers listened intently as the Assessor’s Office introduced its new set of rules. The rules are mostly adopted from the Cook County Board of Review. One of the most notable rule changes is the requirement to exclude law firm letterhead, attorney names and law firm names for most documentation to be submitted to the Assessor in support of appeals (See Rule 10). In addition, the Assessor’s office now requires a current picture of any property being appealed, except for Class 2. All appraisals must be USPAP compliant, and all income producing property appeals must include actual income and expense statements, and three years of IRS tax forms. Beyond the rules discussion, the main issue discussed causing the crowd to grumble was a discussion about “transparency” and how the Assessor’s office plans to make initial appeal determinations available per appeal. The short answer was you can request it at the Freedom of Information Desk in the Assessor’s Office. Stay tuned for more developments on this issue.