Chicago’s 50th Ward Newsletter

April 24, 2026

Dear Neighbor,

Rogers Park Township Property Tax Appeals

Rogers Park Township is now open for property tax appeals through the Cook County Assessor’s Office. The assessment of your home is one of the most important factors in determining how much you will pay in property taxes. The good news is that you can appeal your valuation and potentially lower your taxes.

I plan on partnering with Cook County Commissioner Josina Morita to offer an appeals assistance event at the 50th Ward Office. Please stay tuned for more information.

Rogers Park Township encompasses the area of the 50th Ward that is north of Devon. The appeals period is open until Monday, June 1. You can file an appeal online at www.cookcountyassessoril.gov/online-appeals.

If your appeal is accepted, changes to your property's assessed value will be reflected in the second installment property tax bill you receive next year in late 2027.

For any questions, please contact my office at (773) 262-1050 or contact Commissioner Morita’s Office at (312) 603-6383.

Sign Up for Street Sweeping Alerts

Street sweeping has officially started in our neighborhood and will continue through late-November. You can view the schedule for the 50th Ward as an interactive map here or download a printable version on the Department of Streets and Sanitation website here. Please double-check your address on the map to make sure you are looking at the correct section.

You can find a printable schedule for each individual sweeping section on the 50th Ward website at 50thward.org/sweeping.

You can also sign up for street sweeping alerts with We the Sweeple, a third-party website that pulls information from the publicly available sweeping schedule on the Streets and Sanitation website. Visit www.WeTheSweeple.com to sign up for email alerts when street sweeping is scheduled on your block.

Please note, the site is not affiliated with the City of Chicago, so please always double-check with the official schedule.

Streets and Sanitation Ward Yard Tour

I had a great tour of the local Streets and Sanitation Ward Yard this week. Our sanitation workers do the often thankless job of keeping our community clean. I was grateful for the chance to see their work up close and thank them for all they do to keep the 50th Ward running smoothly.

A focus of the tour was on the food composting services offered at the sanitation ward yard. The local facility, located at 6447 N Ravenswood Ave, is now one of 33 Food Scrap Drop-Off locations spread across the city.   

Composting keeps food scraps out of landfills, reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and recycles nutrients that enrich soil. Chicago residents can participate by dropping off their household food scraps at one of the green carts in place at the Ravenswood ward yard. Fill out the form here for all the details.

To learn more about composting in Chicago, visit chi.gov/composting.

Yom HaAtzmaut in Chicago

The Jewish community gathered for a flag raising ceremony this week at Daley Plaza to commemorate Yom HaAtzmaut – Israel Independence Day. Thank you to the Jewish United Fund of Chicago for organizing it, and to the hundreds of people who came out to celebrate, many of them from the 50th Ward.

Yom HaAtzmaut celebrates the modern State of Israel’s independence and the ancient connection between the Jewish people and their ancestral homeland. It is a deeply meaningful day to many people in the 50th Ward. Wishing a Chag HaAtzmaut Sameach – a very Happy Israeli Independence Day – to everyone who celebrated!

Beat 2413 Police CAPS Meeting

The 24th District Police will be holding a CAPS meeting this week for Beat 2413. The meeting will be held in person at Green Briar Park, 2650 W. Peterson, this Tuesday, April 28 at 7 PM.

Beat 2413 stretches from Devon to Peterson and from Kedzie to Ridge. The CAPS meeting is a great opportunity to discuss safety concerns directly with the police and your neighbors.

For more information, please call the 24th District CAPS Office at (312) 744-6321 or email [email protected]. Find all the upcoming local CAPS meetings at 50thward.org/police.

Sincerely,

Debra L. Silverstein

Alderman, 50th Ward

Block Party and Jumping Jack Applications

Apply for a free bouncy house at your block party this summer!  The Jumping Jack application is now open online here. Inflatables will be available on Saturdays and Sundays from May 23 through September 6. Requests are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so apply as early as possible to ensure your block party date is available.

The weather is getting nicer and that means block party season is almost here! These fun events are a summer fixture in Chicago and help bring the community together. Block party applications can be found online at 50thward.org/block-party.

Complete the online intake form and a 50th Ward staffer will send you a block party permit. If you prefer a paper form, you can download one here and return it to the 50th Ward Office at 2949 W. Devon or email it to [email protected].

City Sticker Amnesty April

The City of Chicago announced an amnesty program that will provide relief from expensive City Sticker fees and tickets. During the month of April, anyone may purchase a City Sticker from the City Clerk without having to pay late fees or back charges.

If you do not have a current City Sticker, make sure to buy one during April. To participate in Amnesty Month, visit one of the three Office of the City Clerk locations or one of the four Department of Finance locations. A map is available here. You can also purchase your sticker online at ezbuy.chicityclerk.com.

Amnesty Month will run from April 1 - 30, 2026. For more information, visit www.chicityclerk.com/AmnestyMonth.

Apply Now for Property Tax Exemption Savings

Property tax-saving exemption applications for the 2025 tax year are now available on the Cook County Assessor’s website. These savings could help lower your property tax bill. Visit www.cookcountyassessoril.gov/exemptions to apply now.

Exemptions appear on your second installment tax bill issued in the summer and can significantly lower your property tax bill. The most common is the Homeowner Exemption, which applies to homeowners who own and occupy their property as their principal place of residence. The key exemptions you can now apply for are:

• Homeowner Exemption - this exemption automatically renews each year. New homeowners, first-time applicants, or those that need to reapply can now do so online.

• Senior Exemption - this exemption automatically renews each year.

• Senior Freeze Exemption - this exemption must be filed annually.

• Persons with Disabilities Exemption - this exemption automatically renews each year.

• Veterans with Disabilities Exemption - this exemption must be filed annually.

Property tax exemptions can be applied for online at www.cookcountyassessor.com/exemptions or in one, streamlined paper application available here. For a list of upcoming in-person and virtual outreach events, visit www.cookcountyassessoril.gov/event-list.

Become a Court Advocate

The 24th District is seeking volunteers to become Court Advocates. Court Advocates follow, attend, and track court cases that are of concern to the community. Please contact the CAPS Office at [email protected] if interested in this program.

Court Advocate activities include: 

• Tracking Key Cases: Subcommittees work with the police to monitor cases that matter most to the neighborhood. This ranges from violent crimes to "quality of life" issues such as drug dealing, problem landlords, and abandoned buildings.

• Supporting Victims and Witnesses: For many, testifying can be a source of anxiety. Having community volunteers in the courtroom provides support to victims and witnesses.

Court advocacy is a way to show support for victims and stand in solidarity against crime in your community. To learn more about how you can participate, contact the 24th District CAPS Office at [email protected] or 312-744-6321.

SBA Disaster Declaration

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved a disaster declaration for the severe storms and flooding that impacted six counties in northeastern Illinois from Aug. 16–18, 2025. This declaration will allow homeowners, renters, businesses, and certain non-profit organizations to apply for low-interest loans to help cover damages not covered by insurance.

The declaration includes the Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties. These areas qualify for both physical disaster loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) through the SBA. Homeowners and renters can apply for up to $500,000 in low-interest loans to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners or renters can apply for up to $100,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property such as appliances and furniture. Businesses and some not-for-profits can borrow up to $2 million for physical damages.

To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email [email protected] for more information on SBA disaster assistance.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Friday, May 15. The deadline to return economic injury applications is Wednesday, December 16.

Summer Jobs for Chicago Youth

The Chicago Youth Works (CYW) application portal is now open. Chicago Youth Works — formerly One Summer Chicago — reflects the City’s continued investment in expanding youth employment opportunities and strengthening pathways to long-term career success for Chicago’s young people.

The City's goal is to hire 29,000 young people (ages 14-24) through paid summer opportunities. Interested youth can apply online at ChicagoYouthWorks.org. The application deadline is May 29, but interested youth should apply early to increase their chances of receiving a job offer.

Summer employment will be a minimum of 6 weeks starting in June and conclude in late July or early August, dependent on the employer the young person is hired through. Youth ages 14-15 will have access to stipend paid opportunities while youth and young adults ages 16-24 will be paid an hourly wage.

50th Ward Know Your Rights Portal

Native Planting Event

Chamber of Commerce Community Guide