Join us for grilling, games and more fun from noon to 8pm Aug. 22 on the 800 block of North Winchester. Bring food and drink to share; Roots will provide pizza and West Town Bakery cake balls. A raffle will support EVA's community improvement efforts.

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi East Village Association membership meeting Aug. 2, 2021, Homestead at Roots Pizza, 1924 W. Chicago Ave. Presiding: Neal McKnight Aug. 23 is the deadline for East Village residents to appeal tax assessments. Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi led an Aug. 2 Facebook Live session on the process before 75 assembled EVA members at this month's meeting. "No one understands property taxes," Kaegi said, even people who have been in government or real estate their whole lives. "It might be more complex by design." The assessor's job is to take the bias out of the property values used on tax bills. The question is whether the first-term assessor is getting it right. Homeowners need to file an online appeal to make their case for a lower assessment. Kaegi contends the county's new algorithm, taking 40 different factors into account, is much more accurate for less expensive properties, but admits that 250 people trying...