SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — As the Illinois General Assembly continues its yearly budget negotiations, state Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin, D-Matteson, is pushing for increased funding for Governors State University, which serves thousands of students in Chicago’s south suburban area.
“Governors State University plays an essential role in the education of students in the Chicagoland area, and makes higher education more affordable and accessible for many students across the region and around the world,” Meyers-Martin said. “Illinois is a state that values higher education and the increased opportunities it brings, and Governors State University is no exception to this rule.”
Governors State University received the lowest total operational appropriation from the state of Illinois in comparison to the state’s other public universities. The appropriation remained stagnant at around $23.4 million in fiscal years 2022 and 2023. The proposed appropriation for fiscal year 2024 only increases the university’s appropriation by a mere 7 percent.
“Governors State University deserves more state support that it receives, plain and simple,” Meyers-Martin said. “As a state, we can do much better by this institution so it can continue to provide its students with a high quality education, and its faculty and staff with valuable employment.”
“When we choose to invest in higher education, we’re choosing to invest in the people of this state,” said state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago. “Governors State is a gateway for opportunity, and by securing additional resources we can help more people achieve the future they want and deserve.”
Chief Sponsors: Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin (HB 1238) and Sen. Robert Peters (SB 74)
The inclusion of owner-occupied homes in the Cook County annual tax sale puts people at risk of losing their home solely for delinquent property taxes purchased by investors motivated by profit, without regard for the long-term impact on families and communities.
Black and Brown homeowners and communities, seniors, and those with disabilities are especially negatively impacted by this. The current system makes it harder for households to transfer wealth, contributing to the racial wealth and homeownership gaps.
Our proposed law would allow Cook County homeowners to pay delinquent property taxes on a payment plan. As long as taxpayers are in good standing with the payment plan, they would not be subject to the tax sale. Interest collected on the delinquent payments would go to local taxing districts, not tax purchasers.
Cook County property tax bills are starting to hit mailboxes, with taxpayers getting an extra month to pay their first installments this year.
The first installment — 55% of a property owner’s total tax bill from the previous year’s assessment — for tax year 2022 are due before 11:59 p.m. April 3.
Why did my bill increase?
In 2021, Chicago was reassessed, leading to a 4% increase in the county’s 2022 property tax bill, with the bill totaling $16.7 billion. Tax bills for more than 406,000 residential properties increased, while nearly 318,000 went down.
There are various reasons a property tax bill can increase, such as home values going up in a community due to development. Local governments can also increase their tax levies to help pay for operations or to make up for property tax refunds they issue because of overassessment errors.
Last year’s bills also reflected a reversal of the COVID-19 adjustment Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi applied to 2020 property values, which led to lower property tax bills in 2021 but an even bigger jump in 2022 bills after properties in Chicago were reassessed.
Many quickly-gentrifying Latino communities on the North and Northwest sides saw the largest increases, while many Black neighborhoods on the South and West sides saw big drops in their bills.
Many property owners in the north and northwest suburbs can expect similar tax hikes this year from the reversal of the COVID-19 adjustment, with bills in the south and southwest suburbs likely to follow the same pattern next year.
How do I pay my bill?
Cook County residents can pay their property taxes in five ways. Payments can be made online at cookcountytreasurer.com, at any Chase Bank in Illinois, at more than 100 community banks if the taxpayer is an account holder, by mail or at the treasurer’s office at 118 N. Clark St., Room 112, Chicago.
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Real Estate
Cook County property taxes are due April 3. Here’s what to know.
By Lizzie Kane
Chicago Tribune
•
Mar 05, 2023 at 8:39 am
Aerial view of 18th Street in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago on Oct. 15, 2020.
Aerial view of 18th Street in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago on Oct. 15, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Cook County property tax bills are starting to hit mailboxes, with taxpayers getting an extra month to pay their first installments this year.
The first installment — 55% of a property owner’s total tax bill from the previous year’s assessment — for tax year 2022 are due before 11:59 p.m. April 3.
State lawmakers extended the due date from March 1 because second installment bills were delayed last year, with Cook County residents receiving them four months late and bills coming due Dec. 30 instead of Aug. 1.
[ Para leer en español, haga clic aquí ]
Many taxpayers experienced sticker shock after receiving their bills last year, as new assessments that took place in 2021 hit Chicago residents’ bills in 2022. The suburbs saw similar hikes following the 2020 and 2019 assessment cycles.
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Cook County properties are reassessed on a triennial basis, meaning that one-third of the county is reassessed each year. New property values are not reflected until the second installment of annual property tax bills the year after the reassessment.
This year’s first round of bills were mailed March 1 and are available online at cookcountytreasurer.com. The Cook County treasurer’s office website can be translated into dozens of languages beyond English.
Here’s what to know about the latest bills.
Why did my bill increase?
In 2021, Chicago was reassessed, leading to a 4% increase in the county’s 2022 property tax bill, with the bill totaling $16.7 billion. Tax bills for more than 406,000 residential properties increased, while nearly 318,000 went down.
There are various reasons a property tax bill can increase, such as home values going up in a community due to development. Local governments can also increase their tax levies to help pay for operations or to make up for property tax refunds they issue because of overassessment errors.
Last year’s bills also reflected a reversal of the COVID-19 adjustment Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi applied to 2020 property values, which led to lower property tax bills in 2021 but an even bigger jump in 2022 bills after properties in Chicago were reassessed.
Many quickly-gentrifying Latino communities on the North and Northwest sides saw the largest increases, while many Black neighborhoods on the South and West sides saw big drops in their bills.
Many property owners in the north and northwest suburbs can expect similar tax hikes this year from the reversal of the COVID-19 adjustment, with bills in the south and southwest suburbs likely to follow the same pattern next year.
How do I pay my bill?
Cook County residents can pay their property taxes in five ways. Payments can be made online at cookcountytreasurer.com, at any Chase Bank in Illinois, at more than 100 community banks if the taxpayer is an account holder, by mail or at the treasurer’s office at 118 N. Clark St., Room 112, Chicago.
Can I appeal?
Unfortunately, most residents have missed the window to knock down their assessment in the hopes of lowering their most recent bill.
If residents failed to receive an exemption they deserved — like for homeowners or seniors — they can bring that up to the Cook County Assessor’s Office and immediately obtain a corrected bill.
There will be an opportunity to appeal 2023 assessments later this year with the Assessor’s Office. If residents believe there has been an error made in their property tax assessment, they can appeal online at https://www.cookcountyassessor.com/online-appeals. Property owners typically have 30 days after their assessment to file an appeal.
Appeals for 2022 assessments can still be filed at the Cook County Board of Review for certain townships. If the Board finds in a property owner’s favor, that reduction wouldn’t apply until this summer’s upcoming bills. The Board can be reached at 312-603-5542 or appeal forms can be found at https://www.cookcountyboardofreview.com/residential-appeals.
Source and full article: https://www.chicagotribune.com/real-estate/ct-biz-property-tax-bills-explainer-first-installment-2023-20230303-k6kliuvcuzbjpe5vg67acaobea-story.html
Elected officials across Cook County agree that the antiquated, red tape-laden system that punishes vulnerable homeowners who fall behind on their taxes needs to be fixed.
That’s where the agreement ends.
Backed by different groups, three state legislators have introduced differing bills all designed to throw life rafts to homeowners who are behind on their property tax bills. They aim to revamp a system that gouges delinquent property owners in the best of cases and forces them from their homes at worst.
More than 45,000 properties were entered last year into Cook County’s latest annual tax sale, which lets investors pay homeowners’ late taxes and then charge them interest on the penalty. If the homeowners don’t pay, the tax buyers can start a process to seize their property.
Nearly half the property owners owed less than $1,000 in taxes at the time their properties went into the bid process, according to county Treasurer Maria Pappas’ office. The tax sale process led to 25 evictions in 2020, the most recent year for which complete data was collected, an Illinois Answers Project investigation found last year.
Now, Pappas is backing a bill in the Illinois state legislature designed to make it easier for homeowners to pay off their tax debt so they don’t join the list.
“In these inflationary times, we just want to help everyone across the board get through it,” the treasurer said in an interview Friday.
Interest rate bill
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago), would halve the penalty for late taxes from 1.5% to 0.75% for every month the bills go unpaid. It would also end the county’s practice of adding an instant 12% interest penalty for any homeowner whose property is entered into the annual tax sale and does not get a bid.
Cutting the county’s interest rate, which Pappas called one of the highest in the country, was one recommendation from a 2022 study the treasurer’s office produced that linked property tax delinquency to the legacy of redlining and other racist government-sponsored housing practices in the early 20th Century. Researchers in the tax collection office estimate that cutting the penalties in half could save vulnerable taxpayers up to $35 million per year.
“A lot of the savings is going to go to…Black and brown communities,” Pappas said. “If the interest on debt doesn’t rise so quickly, the amount needed to pay tax bills in full would be lowered dramatically. So, we just think it’s simple math.”
Villivalam’s bill is paired with a companion proposal from Pappas that would close loopholes in the county’s “sale in error” system that let tax buyers claim refunds on tax bills they bought. A separate study from the treasurer’s office found last year that investors have widely abused the refunds at taxpayers’ expense.
Neither bill would touch the treasurer’s depleted indemnity fund, which is designed to reimburse evicted homeowners for the equity on the properties they lost. As of last year, more than 200 evicted homeowners were still waiting for more than $22 million they were collectively owed from the indemnity fund.
That’s where a separate proposal from State Rep. Margaret Croke (D-Chicago) claims a fix.
Indemnity fund bill
Croke introduced a trio of bills backed by the Chicago Bar Association, which is generally allied with tax buyers. In an interview on Monday, Croke said the bills “seem like no-brainers” that would “add clarification and transparency” to the convoluted tax sale process.
One proposal would require homeowners to repay an additional 2.5% interest penalty for every payment that tax buyers make after they’ve made a purchase. The added payments would feed directly into the indemnity fund.
“We’re looking at the indemnity fund becoming completely insolvent,” Croke said. “People who lose their homes through this process need money now, and they can’t wait over six years to be paid. That’s what’s happening now with the indemnity fund.”
The added fee, which would have to be paid upfront by the tax buyers, is meant to “incentivize” tax buyers to enter into repurchase agreements that would return control to the homeowners, she said.
The North Side legislator called the added interest charge on property owners “a necessary evil” since the fund needs to be replenished and tax buyers did not agree to covering the penalty themselves.
But Pappas says the proposal cuts against her goal of lowering interest penalties that she says have gotten out of hand. Pappas pointed to a law passed in 2021 that “snuck in” an extra 5% penalty on late taxpayers that is already feeding into the indemnity fund.
“We need to find a way to replenish the indemnity fund, but this just isn’t the answer,” the treasurer said of Croke’s bill. “Instead of lessening the burden on struggling taxpayers, it’s going to increase their burden.”
Terry Carter, an advocate with the Chicago Bar Association, countered that the 2021 law has not done enough to cut down the indemnity fund payment backlog, which still stands at more than six years.
“Folks have to wait seven or eight years to get paid if they’re entitled to get their equity back,” Carter said. “If we can get this [fund] flush, then anybody who loses property can file a lawsuit to get their equity out.”
Carter also denied that Croke’s proposal was counterproductive to Pappas’ plan, which he said he and his colleagues at the bar association support.
The added interest penalty he supports is “in essence, an insurance policy, and it’s only being applied to people that don’t pay their taxes on time for two years in a row,” he said.
Tax payment plan bill
Leaders of the nonprofit Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago have joined the fray with their own idea to prevent struggling homeowners from sliding into tax delinquency. Their bill, sponsored by Sen. Robert Peters (D-Chicago) and Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin (D-Olympia Fields), would require the Cook County treasurer to set up an installment plan to pay their tax obligations over time. Homeowners in “good standing” with the plan would not be allowed to be entered into the annual tax sale.
“Our neighborhood staff has been stressing for years how devastating the impacts of the tax sale can be for resident families,” said Sarah Brune, policy director for Neighborhood Housing Services. “There are many scenarios where someone may have paid off their entire mortgage, but they may be behind on their taxes by…$500, and they’re simply not able to come up with that money.”
The bill Brune supports calls for county officials to set up monthly payment plans, which she said could “help tremendously.”
“A lot of people do their budgeting monthly [and] are used to making monthly payments but may not be able to come up with a large lump sum all at once,” Brune said.
But Pappas, whose office would be responsible for managing the payment plan, dismissed the idea as infeasible and “unconstitutional.”
“You can’t just say, ‘hey treasurer, set up a plan.’ You can’t do that,” Pappas said. “If you’re going to come to me with a payment plan, let’s give it a year to study it…and let’s come to a mutual conclusion.”
Brune acknowledged that “a lot more stakeholders” will need to weigh in on the payment plan proposal before it can take effect. She said authors of the bill plan to file an amendment that would create a “task force” charged with making policy recommendations.
Brune added that she and her colleagues “absolutely support” Pappas’ bill to lower interest penalties, saying the lower rates “will help more people pay on time and stay in their homes.”
As of Tuesday, none of the bills aimed at tweaking the tax sale rules had been considered in committee.
Source and full article: https://illinoisanswers.org/2023/03/01/officials-search-for-legislative-fixes-to-cook-countys-convoluted-tax-sale-system/
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — In response to the release of police body camera footage showing the killing of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Memphis officers, the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus (ILBC) released the following statement:
“The release of police body camera footage makes clear what we already knew: the murder of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols was brutal and unjustified. Our deepest condolences are with his family and all those who knew and loved him. The police officers who beat this young man to death have no place in law enforcement, and were rightly dismissed. Still, this is not enough. These officers callously and viciously killed another human being and Mr. Nichols’ family deserves justice.
“For the people who are angry, for the people who are sick of living in fear, we will always stand with you in the fight for justice. We are proud of the steps we’ve taken in Illinois, including passing major criminal justice reforms as part of our four-pillar agenda two years ago, but there is still much more work to do.”
MATTESON, Ill. — State Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin, D-Matteson, will continue to defend Illinois consumers as chair of the House Consumer Protection Committee.
“Fraud, deception and unfair business practices can seriously damage a person’s financial situation, leading to years of economic hardship for our most vulnerable consumers,” Meyers-Martin said. “In Illinois, we do not tolerate misleading and dishonest business conduct or scammers that cheat people out of their hard-earned money. As the chair of the Consumer Protection Committee, I will use the full weight of my position to reduce fraud, scams and other dangers to Illinois consumers.”
Meyers-Martin plans on cracking down on unsafe products and deceptive business practices that mislead consumers and threaten their physical and financial safety. From pharmaceuticals to telemarketing and more, the committee will explore legislative solutions to the complex challenges and dangers consumers face every day.
“Consumer protection issues have a disproportionately negative impact on communities of color, so our work must be centered around racial equity and inclusion,” Meyers-Martin said. “I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues on the committee to stand up and defend the health, safety and economic security of all Illinoisans.”
Today marks a dark day here in America. The overturning of Roe v. Wade has devastating effects on many different facets of society.
Roe v. Wade was based on Griswold v. Connecticut, which asserted a constitutional right to privacy for women and men to obtain access to birth control.
This is not only a strike against women’s rights to abortion, but it has implications for contraception. It also has implications for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community and their rights to marriage under the Obergefell decision and other matters concerning the rights of Americans.
I am committed as ever to fight against this decision and to further protect reproductive rights for women here in Illinois and beyond. As a nation we must utilize the midterm elections as a referendum on the protection of women’s rights in the United States of America.
I’m ready to fight!!
Lea Kirby-Hill believes the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic’s aftershocks such as substance abuse and mental health issues are yet to be realized.
“We have not seen the real impact but it’s coming,” she said. “The effects of the pandemic are just trickling in.”
Her Kirby Rehabilitation Inc., which on Wednesday marked the opening of its office in Matteson, its second south suburban location, is gearing up for that impact, adding staff in areas such as crisis intervention and bringing on mental health professionals.
A year ago, Kirby rolled out its mobile crisis response team, working with area police departments in domestic violence and mental health crisis situations.
Kirby-Hill, a Country Club Hills resident, opened a location last July in Dolton called The Comfort Zone, which provides 24/7 help to south suburban residents. The Matteson location, in office space near the Matteson Holiday Inn off the Interstate 57 and U.S. 30 interchange, will expand those efforts, she said.
Kirby Rehabilitation has developed a close collaboration with officials in Dolton, including the police and fire chiefs, but the crisis response service is available to police departments throughout the south suburbs, said Kirby-Hill, founder as well as president and CEO.
Along with responding to domestic violence incidents and assisting police, the crisis response team members are able to offer an alternative to a trip to the hospital or jail for people experiencing a mental health crisis, Kirby-Hill said.
“We’re supporting the police and decreasing the number of incarcerations,” she said. “We are there to de-escalate the situation.”
Kirby Rehabilitation recently began showing commercials on Chicago television stations to promote its services in substance abuse and mental health.
A young Black man talks to the camera saying “I just want to feel happy, I want to feel connected,” interspersed with images of him drinking alcohol and being helped home by friends after overindulging.
“I just need help,” he says, before information about connecting with Kirby Rehabilitation is shown.
Speaking at Wednesday’s ribbon cutting, state Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin, D-Olympia Fields, said the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has “shone a bright light on health disparities in our community, and mental health being one of them.”
“It is important for us to feel we finally have something that is very much needed and something we deserve in the Southland,” Meyers-Martin said.
More than two decades ago, Kirby-Hill started what was then called Today’s Single Parent, which was an outgrowth of her needing to find resources, as a single mom, for her two daughters.
The group used a community center in a Hyde Park grocery store, then later had office space in Chicago’s Roseland community.
Kirby Rehabilitation was organized in December 2016.
Kirby Rehabilitation is a for-profit business and gets revenue through fees for services, Medicaid reimbursement and grants, including grants totaling $1.3 million to fund the mobile response unit, Kirby-Hill said.
Local Leader Debbie Meyers-Martin Educates Students on Her Role as State Representative (Park Forest, IL) — Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts today hosted State Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin (D-Olympia Fields) at their 2021-2022 Career Day Expo. Michelle Obama School is a middle school in Chicago Heights-Park Forest School District 163. At the day-long event, 7th and 8th grade students heard from industry experts about their career choices.
Meyers-Martin told the middle school students about her history of public service, which began with simply getting involved and volunteering. Later, she was asked to serve on a commission by the former mayor of Country Club HIlls. She then became a trustee in Olympia Fields, followed by Mayor of Olympia Fields. Meyters-Martin is now the State Representative for the 38th District in Illinois.
Meyers-Martin further explained her duties and responsibilities as a State Representative, including a description of what a State Representative does. Her testimony included a story of how she had to debate a bill on the house floor regarding a teacher mentorship program. She described the process that a bill takes to get voted upon and written into law, and provided several examples of bills that have been proposed.
She stressed the importance of standing up for what is right for the communities she serves. “There are times when things that should be easy are extremely difficult…if your purpose is to be a public servant, then my motto is to be relevant. To be relevant to the people that I serve, so that when they think about that office, that they know that I am standing up and that I am speaking for them. And that is why I am going to Springfield 6 months out of the year…I have to firmly believe that what I am doing will have benefit and value in that community.”
Meyers-Martin also explained the importance of having integrity in everything you do. “Every night, when you look in the mirror, you have to feel good about what you have done, what you have represented, what you have said, and what you have stood for. Otherwise, you will not be successful, and suddenly, you won’t feel complimented by the work that you do.”
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Upon the historic confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus released the following statement:
“Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is one of the most impressive, qualified and fair-minded Supreme Court justices ever confirmed. Her dedication to economic justice, civil rights, reproductive health care access and other pressing issues exhibits her extensive expertise and commitment to justice under the law. As the first Black woman Supreme Court justice, Justice Jackson will defend the rights of all Americans, regardless of race or background, and work towards a more just system for generations to come.
We are excited to see how Justice Jackson uses her integrity, upstanding character and expert legal knowledge to positively impact our country and inspire the next generation of Black leaders. We stand with Justice Jackson in our dedication to public service and justice, and celebrate this monumental day in our history.
By nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden has delivered on his promise of nominating the nation’s first Black woman Supreme Court justice with an established record of judicial fairness and a commitment to equal justice for all.”
