Pilsen homeowners say efforts to curb spike in property tax bills are not enough
CHICAGO (CBS) – For months, CBS 2 has been tracking skyrocketing property taxes in Pilsen. Homeowners are demanding relief.
On Wednesday, we learned some families are seeing a break, but most living there said it's still not enough. CBS 2's Andrew Ramos had the story.
The debate over property taxes is one that has been brewing for decades in communities like Pilsen. Latino homeowners make up the majority of the neighborhood. They saw their tax bills skyrocket an average of 46% late last year.
Pat Gonzalez knows all about it. A three-unit home that her family has owned for generations saw a property tax increase of 300% after a recent assessment.
"I am semi-retired," Gonzalez said. "I have to get another job if I want to pay that. I have to find money from somewhere."
George Cardenas, a commissioner on the Cook County Board of Review, said, "We knew that something had to be done."
Outreach efforts by the board seem to have helped so far. A campaign to push homeowners to file a property tax appeal resulted in a 25% increase in appeal filings.
Of the 1,362 Pilsen residents who appealed, more than half saw an average tax cut of roughly 10% or $5,746.
"My intention was to get my analysts to look at the data, to look at these homes and look at the comparables around it to see if there's something that we can latch onto, and that's what we did," Cardenas said.
The Board of Review's efforts weren't exactly viewed as a victory as frustrations boiled over at a press conference where homeowners called for a long-term solution.
Malik Bader, a property owner whom CBS 2 spoke with earlier this year, filed all the appropriate appeals for his properties and was still denied. He's waiting for a second round to see if he will get a much-needed break.
He said the math just doesn't add up.
"When taxes on some buildings went up 50 to 100%, a 10% decrease I don't think addresses the over-valuations to some of these properties," Bader said.
Gonzalez added, "How do you base reassessing a building at this high amount when it's just in such disrepair?"
The Board of Review insists it's discussing with legislators how to develop a long-term solution to property taxes.
A townhall meeting to address ongoing concerns with homeowners is slated for mid-September.
