The year 2000 Annual Tax Sale began today (Monday, April 1, 2002) and was scheduled to continue to April 26, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas announced.

Unpaid taxes on some 53,000 pieces of property from across Cook County are being offered at the Tax Sale, conducted in Room B, Lower Level, of the Cook County Administration Building at 69 W. Washington St., Chicago.

The Treasurer's Office conducts the Annual Sale by law. In a given calendar year, property taxes are collected for the prior year. Thus, unpaid taxes offered at this Annual Tax Sale are for the year 2000 and were payable in 2001.

The hours of the sale are from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, or until that day's offerings are completed. Taxpayers may check the Treasurer's web site at www.cookcountytreasurer.com to see if their taxes are listed. If they believe their taxes are listed in error, they may inquire at the Treasurer's Tax Research Department in the Cook County Building in Room 112 at 118 N. Clark St. in Chicago or call (312) 443-5100.

Pappas urged those with unpaid taxes to pay before their taxes are offered for sale to avoid costly redemption - repayment to the tax buyers, with substantial penalties and interest. Taxpayers have at least two years to redeem before the tax buyer can seek ownership of the property in court.

"Please pay to avoid extra costs," Pappas said, adding that her office sent lists of the names of those with unpaid taxes to all 50 Chicago aldermen, the 17 Cook County commissioners and the 30 suburban township assessors so they can urge their constituents to pay their unpaid taxes.

Taxes are offered on a schedule covering the 30 suburban and eight Chicago townships. The schedule:

April 1 - Barrington, Berwyn and Bloom Townships.
April 2 - Bloom and Bremen.
April 3 - Bremen, Calumet, Cicero, Elk Grove and Evanston.
April 4 - Hanover, Lemont, Leyden, Lyons, Maine, New Trier and Niles.
April 5 - Northfield, Norwood Park, Oak Park, Orland, Palatine, Palos and Proviso.
April 8 - Rich, River Forest, Riverside, Schaumburg, Stickney and Thornton.
April 9 and 10 - Thornton.
April 11 - Wheeling, Worth and Hyde Park.
April 12 and 15 - Hyde Park.
April 16 - Jefferson and Lake.
April 17, 18, 19 and 22 - Lake.
April 23 - Lake View, North Chicago, Rogers Park and South Chicago.
April 24 - South Chicago and West Chicago.
April 25 and 26 - West Chicago.