Homeowners shocked by tax hikes should read bills to see where their money is going

By Maria Pappas

Record property tax increases have shocked and angered many Cook County homeowners, particularly in the southern suburbs.

Bills for the second installment of 2023 are available online at cookcountytreasurer.com and will arrive in mailboxes in early July. Bills are due August 1.

My office recently released an analysis of some 1.8 million tax bills. The analysis showed that in the southern suburbs, the median tax bill increased by 19.9 per cent. In 15 southern suburbs, tax bills increased by more than 30 per cent to as much as 76 per cent.

A typical example shows that property taxes on a Park Forest home increased by $3,834 this year to $8,892. The tax bill for the property a year ago was $5,058.

These skyrocketing increases are too much for homeowners who already have to deal with higher prices at the grocery store, gas pumps and everywhere else. Many feel they can no longer afford to live in a place with such high taxes. They wonder what they can do about it.

There’s one thing every homeowner can do when faced with high taxes: read their tax bills.

In Cook County, I redesigned tax bills. The bills have a new feature, “Where Your Money Goes,” that more clearly shows which taxing agencies are getting your money. The bills show how much tax is owed for 2023 and how much the bill has changed from 2022. A typical bill shows about a dozen different taxing districts and shows how much you pay to each taxing agency.

I made this so you can call the people who raised your taxes and tell them what you think. This makes it easier than ever to compare tax bills from year to year. Your tax bill tells you which government units get your money and how much each gets.

That’s why it’s more important than ever to read your tax bill. For years, I’ve heard people complain about their taxes. Everywhere I go in Cook County, people ask me the same question.

“Why did my tax increase?”

My office sends out bills and collects taxes. I have nothing to do with determining how much money you owe. That decision is made by other government agencies, primarily the tax agencies listed under “Where Your Money Goes.”

When you receive your tax notice, consider how each listed taxing district holds regular public meetings. As a taxpayer, you have the right to make public comments, especially about the taxing district’s budget and how your tax dollars are spent.

I hope that as you read your tax bill, you will become more interested in local government. If you are angry about high property taxes, you should vote in local elections. If more people questioned their elected officials about property tax revenues, government agencies could work harder to control spending.

Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author and former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A Vietnam War veteran and winner of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on U.S. and Chicago area topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers and Suburban Chicagoland.

Hanania also writes on Middle East issues for Arab News and The Arab Daily News, criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named “Best American Ethnic Columnist” by New America Media in November 2007 and received SPJ’s Sigma Delta Chi National Award for Column Writing in 2009.

Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].

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