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As property taxes in the city are set to skyrocket, Mayor Daley, still reeling from the parking meter debacle, the loss of the 2016 Summer Olympics and an all-time low popularity rating is playing the blame game. After claiming that he'll hold the line on taxes with next year's budget, he's pointing fingers now that property tax bills are set to soar, even while property values have plummeted. Going after Cook County Assessor James Houlihan, Daley proclaimed his ignorance of how property taxes are assessed. "The thing I can't understand (is) this whole assessment deal," the mayor said. "Now, no one's value is going up in the city. ... I'm asking him how he does it." (Our own Chuck Sudo explained how they work in the comments of this post.)
Of course the mayor didn't bother to explain how the county assessor could legally reduce the coming tax bills. (He can't.) But May Day did make a play to be the hero for homeowners that are already stretched thin with the myriad taxes and fees imposed by the city. “My job is to fight for Chicago’s working people and middle class families, and higher city property taxes are the last thing we should be asking homeowners to pay this year,” Daley said. “They need property tax relief and they need it now.” Reaching back into the pot of money the city has from the botched parking meter lease deal, Daley announced a plan to offer homeowners that see their tax bills rise, to the tune of $35 million. Under his proposal, homeowners earning less than $25,000 and who see their tax bills rise by $350 or more will be eligible for $200 from the city.
We're not sure what's more disturbing: the mayor's lack of understanding of the fundamentals of how property taxes are assessed in Cook County or his push to spend all the funds that were generated when the city relinquished its control over the parking meter system.
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What about your TIFs you lying dumbass?
You do know that Mayor Daley didn't write this article nor is he reading it, right?
The question for Daley isn't whether he properly understands assessments (I'm sure he does), but whether he can use the fact that the public doesn't properly understand assessments to deflect public anger at somebody besides him. I say he has a decent shot ... the same people who buy all his excuses will buy this one, too.
The mayor understands. As usual, he is playing dumb for political effect. Amazing people still buy it.
Tax Reform Action Coalition (TRAC), a volunteer community-based advocacy group, continues working on reform the system to realize a fair and predictable permanent assessment cap, and helps the public understand assessments.
www.trac-il.org
I think Daley is also conveniently neglecting to mention the $65 million property tax hike he initiated two years ago that is just going into effect now.
Yes.
I wonder how big the portion of Chicago homeowners who make less than $25k really is. It can't be that large and are those people really considered to be middle-class? Sounds more like the working poor to me.
'Under his proposal, homeowners earning less than $25,000 and who see their tax bills rise by $350 or more will be eligible for $200 from the city.'
Are you kidding me? How many people making that much money can afford to rent in chicago yet alone even buy a home? Looks like we'll keep most of that parking meter money after all