Homeowners in Chicago made their frustrations heard at the Sunday night “property tax bonfire.”
The event, held at the Harmony Community Church in Lawndale, was held for people who are not content with recent property tax increases. Many wondered exactly where the money is going, with one man noting that his bill is $977 higher than last year’s. Others burned their bills in protest of the local government raising taxes in a desperate attempt to balance their budget.
“Tax increase is tied to a TIF [tax increment financing] that I have no idea why,” said resident Thomas Worthy, according to ABC7. “It’s collecting money from our neighbors and streets, but we’re not being notified why it’s in the bill.”
“We understand utilities are going up and things of that nature, but it’s a valuation issue. We don’t have the schools we need. It’s economics that are not here, but we’re being charged for economics in different communities,” he added.
Tonight Chicago residents are having a property tax bonfire after they received their new property tax bills that have increased significantly
Some residents reporting their bills have increased $977 from last year
Democrats again increased property taxes due to budget… pic.twitter.com/qrTu5UkDS4
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) November 16, 2025
Among the frustrations mentioned was the lack of any real, notable improvement in the neighborhoods where the taxes are being raised so dramatically.
“There’s been a divestment in this community for the most part, but it seems now that people have found an interest in reclaiming the neighborhood,” said resident Milton Clayton. “Now we’re being taxed for prosperity.”
Some suggested that the issue could be managed by a new policy that would echo Prop 13 in California, which limits property tax increases to “one percent of assessed value with annual increases capped at 2%.”
But Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas revealed that the money would not be due in a lump sum, trying to make the shocking increases more palatable for people in an economy where so many are already struggling to make ends meet.
“You do not have to pay your bill on December 15. You hear that you don’t have to pay it. Let me tell you why we went to Springfield last year and set up a payment plan,” she said, adding that on December 16, residents can go online and set up a plan to pay their bill over 13 months.
“Illinoisans pay the second-highest property tax rate in the U.S., shelling out about 2.07% of their property’s value each year. That’s more than double the national rate. It’s even worse in Cook and the collar counties. Cook County in 2022 ranked among the nation’s 100 most expensive for property taxes, with property taxpayers spending more than the typical homeowners in California’s Orange County, Los Angeles County, or San Diego County,” noted The Illinois Policy Institute, revealing that the bulk of the money goes to the Chicago Public Schools.
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Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
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