Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas
Pappas criticizes ‘inequities’ in tax system
From staff reports
As property tax bills land in Cook County mailboxes over the coming days, businesses and homeowners will likely find higher bills with some gentrifying Latino neighborhoods in Chicago seeing increases of nearly 46%, according to an analysis of 1.8 million tax bills, conducting by the office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas.
The analysis, which examined bills for the 2021 tax year, shows that property taxes across Cook County rose by $614 million — a 3.8% increase — for a total of $16.7 billion going to pay for schools, public safety, medical care, parks, libraries and other government services.
The increased tax burden is not shared equally. Homeowners will pay 53.6% of the rise, while businesses will pay 46.4%.
Some Chicago communities — affluent areas along the north lakefront and pockets of working-class Latino neighborhoods — will see their taxes jump dramatically, the report concludes.
The increase in taxes in some gentrifying Latino neighborhoods may raise concerns that residents could be priced out of their homes. In the Lower West Side, a predominantly Latino community, the median homeowner’s tax bill increased by $2,275 to $7,239, a 46% jump over
2020’s property taxes. In Avondale, another predominantly Latino community, the median tax bill shot up 27%.
“There are still inequities in our property tax system, and we need to straighten it out,” Pappas said.
Meanwhile, many predominantly black neighborhoods saw reductions in their median taxes–such as West Garfield Park, where homeowner taxes dropped nearly 45%.
Overall, the median tax bill for homeowners in Chicago went up nearly 8%. The Treasurer’s analysis shows four factors drove those increases:
A new Illinois property tax law allows many governments to “recapture” or recover the total of any taxes refunded to property owners who appealed their taxes the previous year.
This new recapture law added $131 million to tax bills across Cook County. Chicago Public Schools is getting $32.3 million, the largest recapture payment in Cook County.
Property assessments, used to determine how much someone pays, rose across the city this year — fueling a $141 million increase into the city’s special economic development funds, known as Tax Increment Finance districts. None of that $141 million may be used to cover government services, so it is effectively an additional property tax.
City Hall increased the amount of money it needed for operations by $94 million, and Chicago Public Schools increased its tax levy by $114 million.
The Assessor’s Office last year reduced the values of homes anywhere from 8% to 12% because of the pandemic. But homes’ estimated market values have risen, and the Board of Review, the tax assessment appeal agency, lowered commercial assessments set by the Assessor, which caused more of the overall tax burden to fall on homeowners.
Pappas, who annually studies the impact of government property taxes, said the newly enacted recapture law “now will be an annual tax increase.”
Elsewhere, taxes in the north and northwest suburbs, increased by $94 million, with most homeowners and commercial property owners getting higher bills. Taxes grew to a smaller extent in the south and southwest suburbs, where the increase was $35 million.
Local News
Charge man with Archer Heights carjacking
Spread the loveBy Tim Hadac Police say they’ve solved a carjacking that occurred in Archer Heights earlier this month. An 18-year-old Southeast Side man was charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking in connection with the crime. Monte Handley, of the 9000 block of South Muskegon, was apprehended by police in the 7500 block of South Ellis…
Charge man in shooting of 2
Spread the loveBy Tim Hadac A 22-year-old West Lawn man was charged with two counts of aggravated battery, as well as aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, after he was arrested in the 3700 block of West Marquette Road at 4:06 p.m. Monday, Jan. 17. Isaiah Barco allegedly shot two men in a crime that…
Police reports
Spread the loveShot in the head, killed on Archer A 33-year-old man was shot in the head and killed as he drove a vehicle in the 4200 block of South Archer at 5:13 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 22. The victim was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:47 a.m. Police said…
Tabares backs West Lawn Branch Library
Spread the love Twenty-third Ward Ald. Silvana Tabares (left) recently toured the renovated West Lawn Branch Library, 4020 W. 63rd St.,, with new branch manager Mina Duarte. Details about the renovation’s may be found in the West Lawn column in the January 28 Greater Southwest News-Herald. –Supplied photo
Chuy backs Starbucks unionization
Spread the love U.S. Rep Jesús “Chuy” García (D-4th), white mask, recently stood with those who support unionization of Starbucks workers, outside a shop in the city. Workers are attempting to organize under the banner of Chicago and Midwest Joint Board, Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union. –Supplied photo
‘Grizzled’ sophomores help Naz beat Marist
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Nazareth’s “grizzled veterans” have won 19 of their first 20 games. The Roadrunners’ were victorious in a big East Suburban Catholic Conference showdown with Marist, with two sophomores doing most of the damage in a 53-42 win in LaGrange Park on Jan. 19. Nazareth improved to 19-1, 4-0.…
Postseason Sports Report: Area stars ready for state bowling and dancing
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The first two IHSA state tournaments for winter sports will take place this weekend, and an army of area athletes will be competing in both. The boys bowling and competitive dance championships will be held Friday and Saturday, with the bowlers heading to St. Clair Bowl in O’Fallon…
We need real solutions to crime
Spread the loveBy Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 Crime and safety concerns are the number one topic of all the calls and texts I receive. It seems that many politicians offer no solutions except the usual lists of ways to keep safe. I think everyone knows about locking…
Icy spill yielded plenty of good will
Spread the loveBy Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 284-7394 Here is a giant shout out to our first responders in the community. On Jan. 9, when a sheet of ice descended on Chicago, I was walking the dog. Walking around Peck School was great.…
It’s a busy January in Gage Park
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Neighborhood correspondent at large Greetings, Gage Parkers! I’m pleased to be filling in this week for Karen Sala. It’s fun for me to report on Gage Park, the neighborhood where I lived for the first 26 years of my life. There’s always something happening in this big, exciting part of…
Neighbors
Lawmakers consider tax break for news publishers, state-sponsored journalism scholarships
By ALEX ABBEDUTO & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new measure being debated in the Illinois General Assembly would create a tax credit for certain news publishers based on the number of reporters they employ. The proposal from Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, is part of a package of policies that he…
House GOP advances 2 human trafficking victim protection bills as others remain in limbo
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com After Illinois received another failing grade from a national advocacy group, state House Republicans have introduced legislation aimed at further protecting victims and prosecuting perpetrators of human trafficking. Shared Hope International, an advocacy organization that works to prevent sex trafficking, said in its 2023 Illinois report card that…
Hundreds of bills pass, including changes to state’s biometric data privacy law
By HANNAH MEISEL COLE LONGCOR & ALEX ABEDDUTO Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers passed more than 200 bills this week ahead of their scheduled May 24 adjournment. Many of the measures will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker, including a bill that changes how damages accrue under Illinois’ first-in-the-nation biometric data privacy law.…
Pritzker pledges to expand access to mental health care in Illinois
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – In the middle of Mental Health Awareness Month, Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton hosted a panel in Springfield this week at which he pledged to expand the state’s behavioral health services. With several dozen services providers from around the state in attendance, Pritzker…
With 1 week left in session, Pritzker admin says all revenue options remain on the table
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com While the governor’s office instructed its agency directors to prepare for $800 million in potential budget cuts last week, all facets of his plan to raise $1.1 billion in revenue to avoid those cuts remain under consideration. Read more: ANALYSIS: ‘Significant enough’ opposition to Pritzker’s revenue plan leads to…
Illinois launches summer food assistance program
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The state is launching a new program to provide food assistance during the summer for families with children who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at school. Gov. JB Pritzker joined other state officials and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Thursday to announce that Illinois will…
Lawmakers consider tax break for news publishers, state-sponsored journalism scholarships
By ALEX ABBEDUTO & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new measure being debated in the Illinois General Assembly would create a tax credit for certain news publishers based on the number of reporters they employ. The proposal from Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, is part of a package of policies that he…
House gives OK to new state agency focused on early childhood programs
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House gave final passage Thursday to a bill establishing a new cabinet-level state agency whose mission will be to provide a kind of one-stop shop for services focusing on early childhood development and education. By the time it’s fully operational in 2026, the new…
As vacated Centralia funeral home prepares for new tenant, owner makes a startling find
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com In the basement of a Centralia funeral home in a dark hallway off the embalming room, tucked inside a nook behind two steel plates and a door, a visitor found three disembodied, neatly wrapped human legs, two of them marked with names and dated to the 1960s. The…
Illinois Supreme Court considers expectation of privacy in hospitals
By DILPREET RAJU & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – While Cortez Turner was in a hospital room being treated for a gunshot wound to his leg in 2016, police took his clothes. Now, the Illinois Supreme Court is weighing whether that action violated Turner’s expectation of privacy under the Fourth Amendment. The…