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Chicago homeowner are demanding answers as property tax bills continue to rise, with several residents saying they have seen little improvement in return.
In Lawndale, a neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side, residents said ABC7 Chicago that little has changed on their streets despite higher property taxes, leaving them dissatisfied with where their money is going. Community leaders and the Lawndale Christian Development Corporation gathered citizens at a local church for what they called a “property tax bonfire,” the local station reported.
“There has been disinvestment in this community for the most part, but now that people have become interested in reclaiming the area, it seems like we are being taxed for our wealth,” Lawndale resident Milton Clayton told the outlet.
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Houses stand in a neighborhood in this aerial photo taken January 8, 2020 over Chicago, Illinois. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Thomas Worthy, another Lawndale resident, said he received a bill in mid-November that was $977 more than what he paid last year.
“The tax increase is tied to a TIF, which I have no idea why,” Worthy said. “It’s about collecting money from our neighbors and our streets, but we’re not being told why it’s in the bill.”
A TIF or tax increment financing is a financing instrument According to the City of Chicago’s government website, it uses increases in property tax revenue in a given area to fund local redevelopment and infrastructure projects.
“We understand that utilities are going up and things like that, but it’s a valuation issue,” Worthy added. “We don’t have the schools we need. It’s the economics that doesn’t exist here, but we have to pay for the economics in other people’s communities.”
The mural “Greetings from Chicago” lights up a street in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood on March 30, 2018. (Patrick Gorski/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Illinois Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization, more than half found A portion of Chicago homeowners’ property tax bill goes to Chicago Public Schools.
“Illinois pay the second-highest property tax rate in the U.S., spending about 2.07% of the value of their property each year. That’s more than double the national tax rate,” the organization noted. “It’s even worse in Cook and the collar counties. Cook County ranked among the top 100 most expensive property taxpayers in the country in 2022, with property taxpayers spending more than the typical homeowner in California’s Orange County, Los Angeles County or San Diego County.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is facing opposition from City Council members over its proposal to extract a record $1 billion from TIF districts to balance its $16 billion 2026 budget. The Chicago Tribune reported End of October.
The proposal would draw money from 68 of the city’s 108 TIF districts, including several on the South and West Sides, raising concerns among city councilors about possible delays in long-promised neighborhood improvements.
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Supporters say the move would shore up the city’s finances and increase school funding.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing with Sanctuary City mayors on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. (Graeme Sloan for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said at a meeting in Chicago Rainbow PUSH Coalition event On Saturday, homeowners can find their property tax bill Payment plans for up to 13 months.
“You don’t have to pay your bill on December 15th,” she told residents. “You hear that? You don’t have to pay it. Let me tell you why. We went to Springfield last year and set up a payment plan.”