When it comes to south suburban property taxes, elected officials can agree that change is necessary.
But especially in the Illinois General Assembly, targeting specific reforms is more difficult.
“Out of the 4,000 or 4,800 bills that were filed, maybe 400 or 500 dealt with tax relief,” said state Rep. Thaddeus Jones, who is also mayor of Calumet City. “But the south suburbs is the hardest hit all the time.”
Jones filed three bills aiming to reduce property taxes in future years as other Southland legislators pitch their own strategies.
Cook County homeowners last summer saw the biggest jump in their tax bills in almost 30 years with a median increase of 19.9%. Southland residents were among the hardest hit, with 15 communities facing increases exceeding 30%, according to the Cook County treasurer’s office.
Jones said since receiving their tax bills last summer, his constituents have demanded relief. He shifted much of the blame to Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi during a community tax forum in July and requested better communication about future bill changes.
In Springfield, Jones introduced two bills to cap property taxes at $5,000 for people who have lived in the same home for at least five years. One of the bills would serve as a pilot program extending from 2026 to 2030.
Another Jones plan would look into scrapping the existing tax system entirely and starting from scratch, using income taxes to fill any gaps. Jones admitted he “went the drastic route,” and the bill is controversial among legislators.
“That is like a lightning rod for everyone who said we cannot just do that,” Jones said. “But I mean, it’s out of control now. So we have to look at states that have done away with it — how they collect taxes differently from how Illinois does it.”
Jones is the sole sponsor on all three of the bills he introduced, and none has progressed since March 21, when they were re-referred to the House Rules Committee, according to the Illinois General Assembly’s website.
A bill seeing more support includes state Sen. Napoleon Harris as a sponsor and would establish a homesteader exemption for those who have owned their homes for at least 30 years. Like other exemptions available to Illinois homeowners, those eligible would be required to reapply for the savings each year.
“I want to incentivize people that have worked hard, stayed put and been a part of revitalizing communities,” said Harris, who is from Dixmoor and will soon take office as Thornton Township supervisor. “As it relates to high property taxes, people can’t afford to live there, especially our aging population on fixed incomes. It becomes unbearable and destabilizes communities.”
The Senate bill is in assignments and also includes as sponsors Sens. Neil Anderson, Chapin Rose, Dave Syverson, Terri Bryant, Donald P. DeWitte, Suzy Glowiak Hilton and Chris Balkema as sponsors.
Raised assessments, school district levies and the end of COVID-19 adjustments all played a role in last year’s historic bill changes. Unlike homeowners, industrial and commercial properties including factories, stores and offices in the south suburbs saw their median bill fall by about 8.5% year over year, the Cook County treasurer’s report showed.
The silver lining, some legislators say, is willpower to address the issue this year, including initiating a working group that includes Rep. Anthony DeLuca, of Chicago Heights.
“There’s an interest now of trying to correct the problem more than there ever has before,” said DeLuca, a Democrat. “This working group, I believe, was formed for the right reasons — that is a desire to make a real change and try and resolve the problem.”
DeLuca said the group has met several times to hear presentations on potential approaches to reforming Illinois’ property tax system and discovering which “tough decisions” the General Assembly is willing to make to offer relief to homeowners.
Also in the group is Reps. Jehan Gordon-Booth, as chair, Mary Beth Canty, Marti Deuter, Daniel Didech, Norma Hernandez, Tracy Katz Muhl, Suzanne Ness, Abdelnasser Rashid, Nabeela Syed and Curtis Tarver II.
“The working group has some newer members, so some of this testimony and question-and-answer session that we’re doing is to bring some of the newer members up to speed,” DeLuca said.
“We know we have too many exemptions. We know we have too many units of government. We know that the state could or should be kicking in more education funding than it currently is,” he said. “These are all factors. They’re all very complicated, they’re all very complex and they’re all hard.”
DeLuca is a sponsor on “circuit breaker” legislation, which Kaegi has been an advocate. The circuit breaker program would offer assistance to homeowners whose taxes exceed their ability to pay, crediting back property taxes that go beyond a certain share of income.
The bill hasn’t moved forward since March 21, but includes 10 sponsors besides DeLuca.
DeLuca also said he would support a measure to allow voters to reduce or eliminate township government through petition, though he said something similar is introduced “every year.” Gov. J.B. Pritzker presented the proposal in his annual budget address, and dissolving the centuries-old form of government would provide tax relief to homeowners, Pritzker spokesperson Alex Gough said in an email.
“The governor has consistently supported reducing property taxes, which is why he’s continued to increase funding for our public school system, the largest driver of property tax increase,” Gough said. “The administration remains willing to discuss potential solutions with legislators.”
DeLuca said he wishes there was more momentum in the General Assembly toward property tax relief but is encouraged by the work group and other attention his colleagues are showing the issue, which he believes was not as prioritized in past years.
“Residents really got socked,” DeLuca said. “I think now more than ever, there’s a willingness to consider those tough decisions and those tough proposals, where in the past, there wasn’t that willingness.”