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CHICAGO — On Saturday night, residents gathered at Harmony Community Church in Lawndale for an event dubbed a “property tax bonfire,” aiming to illuminate the path toward equitable taxation.
Many Chicago homeowners have recently been hit with significant property tax hikes, prompting questions about the destination of their payments.
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In Lawndale, these homeowners are banding together to seek clarity and solutions for the unexpected increases in their property taxes.
Community leaders joined forces with the Lawndale Christian Development Corporation to organize the bonfire, providing a platform for neighbors to explore their options and voice their concerns.
Among the attendees was Thomas Worthy, a Lawndale resident who saw his latest bill surge by $977 compared to last year.
“The tax increase is linked to a TIF, and I have no idea why,” Worthy expressed. “It’s drawing funds from our community, yet we’re left in the dark about its inclusion in our bills.”
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The group discussed a number of solutions for the issue, including an effort to propose new policy which would be modeled after California’s Prop 13. That would limit property taxes to one percent of assessed value with annual increases capped at 2%.
Homeowners are also frustrated because they feel like they’re not seeing the tax hikes lead to notable investment in their neighborhoods.
“There’s been a divestment in this community for the most part but it seems now that have people found an interest in reclaiming the neighborhood,” lifelong Lawndale resident Milton Clayton said. “Now we’re being taxed for prosperity.”
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas also spoke earlier Saturday on the tax bills while at a Rainbow PUSH event. She says there are new avenues for homeowners to pay these bills at their own pace.
“You do not have to pay your bill on December 15,” Pappas said. “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.”
Pappas says homeowners can go online on December 16 and find payment plans for up to 13 months. That’s welcome news to the Lawndale homeowners, but they still want some clarity on the tax hikes.
“We understand utilities are going up a things of that nature, but it’s a valuation issue,” Worthy said. “We don’t have the schools we need. It’s economics that are not here, but we’re being charged for economics in different communities.”
Some people told ABC7 they haven’t even received their property tax bill, but ABC7 was told by officials that those are going out around Chicago throughout the week.
