small change, warm heart

Life can change in an instant.

In some cases, 63 cents is enough.

That was it.

coin. Less than $1.

No big sparkle.

but, Raphael Smith For the 69-year-old, it was all about doing the right thing for his beloved 98-year-old mother.

Back up.

A few weeks ago, Smith called the Cook County Treasurer’s office. Maria Pappas Check the current status of his mother’s Cook County property tax status.

“Mom is currently in a nursing home temporarily, but she owns a home on the Far South Side,” Smith said. It wasn’t. His mother still owes her 63 cents on her 2020 property tax bill despite her senior discounts and waivers.

“My mom is old-fashioned and rounds everything to even numbers,” laughs Smith, whose mother lives in a tidy home in the Pill Hill neighborhood near 92nd Street.

So on November 30th, Mr. Smith called a Cook County customer service representative and told them that the small outstanding amount could increase each month.

“Can I put the 63 cents on my credit card?” Smith asked. “It was hard for mom to go to her CTA downtown and pay her property tax bill in person, especially when the weather was bad.”

That’s when the spirit of Christmas sprang up.

“‘Don’t worry. …I’ll take care of it!'” the agent told Smith.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Smith, who claimed his agent added. Smith. have a great day! And tell your mom that she wishes her well. “

“I’m so glad he did that…really polite,” Smith said. “Not many people do that when they do debt research.”

So Sneed contacted an agent. Pole, However, those who requested that his surname not be used.

“I just happened to pop into his phone that day,” the agent said. “It’s not always easy for the elderly, so it didn’t make sense for them to come downtown.

“So I decided to get rid of the 63 cents,” he said. How? “I had a little cash in my coin purse and scraped up a few coins. Simple. So I got paid on the spot. This woman always paid property taxes and she son sounded like a great man.”

Kachin! Mrs. Smith was certainly from the old school when it came to paying property taxes. She paid her first tax installment of $64.70 for 2021 with a $65 check and her second installment bill of $49.30 with her $50 check.

Kicker? Hohoho!

“We owe Mrs. Smith 96 cents now!” said a spokesman for the accounting firm.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2022/12/26/23524661/bill-treasury-department-63-cents-raphael-smith-maria-pappas-christmas-spirit small change, warm heart