Cook County, Ill., Opens Access to Residential Assessment Code

Government Technology: Illinois’ Cook County Assessor’s Office, which estimates the value of property within a jurisdiction that includes Chicago, has released its residential assessment code and models.

The move creates nigh-unprecedented transparency for a process that essentially determines how much residents must pay in property taxes. Perhaps most importantly, it marks a major step forward in open information practices, seeing as the only way to previously obtain such information was through Freedom of Information Act requests or a court order.

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