Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—There is a collaborative effort with Park Forest and Cook County to push for property tax relief in Park Forest and beyond. Mayor Joseph A. Woods, Maywood Mayor Nathaniel George Booker, and Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi recently co-authored an op-ed for the Chicago Tribune. In this piece, they highlighted their collaborative efforts to advocate for legislation. This legislation is aimed at helping homeowners facing significant increases in their property taxes.
Earlier this year, the assessor’s office worked with state legislators to develop a property tax relief program. It was introduced as SB1978 by Senator Patrick Joyce and HB3808 by Representative Justin Slaughter. This proposed “circuit breaker” aims to relieve homeowners whose tax bills have increased by more than 25 percent from one year to the next. The program seeks to address the substantial tax increases experienced in the south suburbs last summer. It also aims to protect residents from similar increases in the future.
$15 Million Local Relief Fund: Push for Tax Relief
A one-time local relief fund of $15 million has been established, offering $1,000 to eligible households. Officials argue this is necessary to create a fairer and more sustainable tax system. This is especially important as many residents worry about losing their homes.
In the op-ed, Mayor Woods explained that property taxes have significantly affected Park Forest residents. This is the case even though the Village has not increased its budget or relied on property taxes in five of the past seven years. Instead, there has been a shift in the tax burden among different property types.
The mayor and other officials believe that implementing a state-funded circuit breaker, managed by the assessor’s office, would be the first of several steps. These steps aim to address the disproportionate reliance on property taxes for funding public services. They noted that the state could fund a fiscally responsible circuit breaker program with approximately $200 million annually.
The op-ed stated that the program could be established without adding new administrative costs. This is because the assessor’s office already has much of the necessary infrastructure to administer a circuit breaker. Through an agreement with the Illinois Department of Revenue, the office has access to most of the necessary data. This allows them to automatically enroll qualifying homeowners.
Mayor Woods and other officials are urging the community to support this initiative. They ask homeowners to contact their local state representatives and senators and encourage them to support this bill.
This is news from the Village of Park Forest.
