BWL Suburban Life • mysuburbanlife.com • Wednesday, March 19, 2014 • EC
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Berwyn offers water, sewer line warranties By JOE SINOPOLI jsinopoli@shawmedia.com BERWYN – For the second year, Berwyn is offering homeowners a way to protect themselves from costly repairs associated with sewer or water lines. The city, with Service Line Warranties of America is offering residents voluntary warranty protection for sewer line failures. The National League of Cities Service Line Warranty program offers protection against normal wear and tear not cov-
ered under most traditional homeowners policies. Service Line Warranties of America will repair the lines if they break, leak or clog, using local, licensed contractors familiar with local code who can ensure repairs are done quickly. This program provides up to $4,000 in coverage, with an additional allowance for public street or sidewalk cutting at a cost of $7.25 per month, or $82 a year. The program has no annual or lifetime limits, service fees or deductibles.
Assistant City Administrator Evan Summers said the city began researching the effectiveness of a warranty plan with surrounding communities that already had a plan in place when it became apparent that one may be needed. “As our infrastructure ages here in Berwyn, we’ve had families come in with sewer line issues and we were concerned with the cost associated with replacing the sewer line,” he said. “We understand that a lot of families are still struggling so we found this cost-effective solu-
tion to solve these problems.” Summers said not all homeowners policies cover problems with sewer or water lines. Property owners are encouraged to first consult with their insurance agents to determine if and how much coverage their homeowner’s insurance provides. “Some people are unaware they are responsible for the sewer line connection to their residence,” he said. “The city is only responsible for the main system.” Repairs paid by the prop-
erty owner can be as high as $5,000, and in some cases, more, Summers said. Meanwhile, as of the end of February, the city has had 1,271 homeowners sign up for the External Sewer Line Warranty and 667 signed up for the External Water Line Warranty. This program is offered at no cost to the city and no public funds are used to promote or administer the program. For questions or to enroll, contact Service Line Warranties of America at 866-922-9006 or www.SLWofA.com.
What to know about county real estate assessments SUBURBAN LIFE MEDIA Today’s issue of the Berwyn Suburban Life, distributed in the villages of Berwyn and Cicero, contains a 52-page supplement of the Real Estate Assessment list for the Township of Cicero. This list is prepared by Assessor of Cook
County Joseph Berrios. The list is arranged by street name and then by house number under each street name. The listing gives the assessed value of all properties in the township. Under state and county law, the assessed value of a house should be 10 percent of its market value
and a commercial value is assessed at 25 percent of its market value. One of the important uses of the listing is to allow property owners to see how the value of their home compares to the value of other properties in their neighborhood. The Cook County Asses-
sor’s Office does not set the tax rates in the county nor does it collect property taxes. Property owners received an individual notice about their property assessment in the mail this week, which contained information to help them understand their assessment. The assessment notice has
been reformatted to include more information than ever. Property owners who want further help should call the assessor’s office at 312-4437550 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Property owners also can stop by the office at 118 N. Clark St., Room 320 in Chicago.
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