Maureen Berkowitz, Chief County Assessment Officer
Debbie Davis, Deputy Chief County Assessment Officer

• Office: 20 S. 10th Street, Murphysboro, IL 62966
• Phone: (618) 687-7220
• Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Chief County Assessment Office plays a critical role in the property tax cycle by providing statistical analysis of sales and assessment data for the Illinois Department of Revenue, assistance and information to 10 township assessors covering 16 townships, and maintains a current record of billing names and addresses for over 31,000 parcels in Jackson County. The chief county assessment officer also serves as clerk to the Board of Review, chairman of the Jackson County Farmland Assessment Review Committee, and administrator of the county floodplain and subdivision ordinances.

The County Assessment Office also maintains records of properties exempt from real estate tax and administers other special exemptions including Homestead, Senior Homestead, Senior Assessment Freeze, Home Improvement, Disabled Veterans, and Fraternal Organization assessment freeze.

The Chief County Assessment Office compiles the work of the township assessors and is responsible for mailing change notices to taxpayers and publishing changes in the local newspapers.

The Chief County Assessment Office is also responsible for maintaining and updating the county cadastral maps with more than 250 land divisions per year and maintaining the parcel identification numbering system.

The Chief County Assessment Officer is appointed to a four-year term by the Jackson County Board. The Land Use Committee oversees the functions of the CCAO.

Uses of Property Tax in Jackson County

Every dollar of property tax remains in the local area and is used to fund a variety of local government taxing districts. In Jackson County, there are over fifty districts that use some portion of your property tax dollar. Here is an abbreviated list of some of the taxing bodies in the county:

• County government
• Southern Illinois Airport
• Schools
• Libraries
• 11 city government
• 16 Townships for road/bridge repair and general assistance
• Fire protection districts
• Mosquito control districts
• Park districts
• Conservancy districts
• Sanitation districts
• Carbondale special service area

The Assessment Office is an information resource for many other units of government, and private industry. The office strives to keep parcel data as current as possible, accurate, and available on request.