A Special E-News Message from the Village President, Catherine Adduci

July, 15, 2020

A Special E-News Message from the Village President, Catherine Adduci

July 15, 2020

Dear River Forest Residents,

COVID-19 UPDATE - Please Read

As we move into the heart of the summer, we need to remember that COVID-19 is still around us. River Forest has been very compliant with the Governor’s order, so we must remain vigilant and follow all recommended precautions. This is especially important as we spend time with our family and friends. If you plan to visit people outside of your household, such as friends or family members who do not live with you, please wear a mask and socially distance where appropriate, especially when indoors.

It only takes one person… Recently we learned about a series of positive cases in River Forest wherein a son who had COVID-19 but did not know it interacted with his father. The father contracted it and subsequently spread it to his daughter and her husband all within a matter of days. These residents share their story as a caution to others. You may be asymptomatic; it is critical to social distance and wear a face covering when gathering with people outside your household, even if you are family!

Please remember to stay safe, wear masks, practice social distancing, wash your hands and stay home if you are sick or at high risk. For more information, log on to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida, Texas, California, Georgia and Arizona are all COVID-19 hot spots. For your family, if you have traveled to or from any of these states, please consider self-quarantining for 14 days. We are fortunate that here in River Forest the numbers aren’t as high, but our Village, Cook County and Illinois have recently seen a rise in the number of cases. In the last 30 days, the number of positive cases in River Forest grew by roughly 40%. Anecdotally, some of these may be related to exposure around the weekend of July 4th. To date, River Forest has had a total of 84 positive cases, and unfortunately one death. For up-to-date information, click here.

I would like to share some online charts that track the number of daily confirmed positive cases in the State of Illinois, Cook County and River Forest. These charts are courtesy of Lee Neubecker, CEO of Enigma Forensics. This information is updated daily using the prior day’s numbers from Johns Hopkins University and the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Please remember that our River Forest COVID-19 Senior Response Team is still available for assistance. If you need a face covering and cannot make your own, or are a senior or an older adult in need of additional services, such as grocery shopping or pharmacy pick up, then please call our River Forest COVID-19 Senior Response Team at 708-613-1642.

Property Tax Needs Available Online

The Second Installment is due August 3, but property owners can pay without any interest charge through October 1, 2020. Payments after October 1 will be charged 1.5 percent per month, as required by law.

Homeowners and business people can access everything they may need to make property tax payments, search for refunds and verify tax exemptions by going to CookCountyTreasurer.com. Please check your second installment tax bills to ensure you received all the exemptions you are entitled to. If there are any discrepancies, please contact the River Forest township Assessor’s office immediately to get a corrected tax bill before the Second Installment is due. Call 708-366-2787 or email assessor@riverforesttownship.org.

In addition to making a payment, property owners may use CookCountyTreasurer.com to:

Search $75 million in available refunds going back 20 years
Apply for a refund
See if you are missing out on $34 million in senior exemptions
Download a copy of your tax bill
Update your mailing address
Submit a question
Upload supporting documents
Check the status of a pending refund
Find out if your property is on the delinquent Tax Sale list

For more information visit CookCountyTreasurer.com, call Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas at 312-603-6202, or click here.

Green Aggregation Letter in the Mail

Residents and businesses should look for an official letter from River Forest with information about the Green Electric Aggregation Program, which supports renewable energy projects and offsets the Village’s CO2 emissions. This program also enables the Village to be designated an EPA Green Power Community at zero added cost to residents and the Village. For more information call 888-423-1390, email RiverForest@mc2energyservices.com or click here.

Construction Projects

The Village’s annual Curb and Sidewalk and Street Improvement Project (SIP) is scheduled to begin later this week, weather permitting. Homes that are affected by this work have been notified. For project locations, detailed information and updates, please visit vrf.us/Construction.