Voters in south and southwest suburban townships are being asked whether the state government should provide annual property tax rebates, via a referendum on the primary ballots.
Thornton, Rich, Orland and Palos townships approved the same nonbinding referendum, asking if the state should deliver annual property tax rebates to more than 3 million residential property taxpayers.
Orland and Palos townships are also asking voters to consider support for a federal tax credit scholarship program championed by the Trump administration. The advisory ballot question asks whether Illinois should opt into a federal program using privately-donated funds for tutoring, test preparation, private school tuition, exam fees or other academic needs.
The funds would be available to kindergarten through high school students in public or private schools or homeschool students, though the referendum leaves out that donors who give up to $1,700 to scholarship awarding organizations receive the same amount back in federal tax credits.
Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan and Orland Township Supervisor Paul O’Grady said the property tax referendum was recommended by former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn. Quinn supported a measure on the November 2024 ballot asking whether the Illinois Constitution should be amended to create a 3% tax on those making more than $1 million dedicated to property tax relief.
Quinn said Friday he continues to push for the state constitutional amendment, which could generate the funds needed to provide the rebates that will be considered by south suburban residents. The first installment of 2025 property taxes in Cook County will be due April 1.
“This is a major opportunity for hard hit taxpayers to send a message to the legislature and to the governor,” Quinn said.
South suburban homeowners were hit with historic tax increases in 2024, with median tax bills rising by 19.9% compared to the year before. In Dixmoor, a village in Thornton Township, the median tax bill for homeowners jumped from $1,073 in 2023 to $1,950 in 2024. The median bill in Hazel Crest, parts of which are in Bremen, Thornton and Rich townships, jumped from $1,586 to $5,651 during the same period.
Jordan and O’Grady said they have seen how property tax increases have affected their townships’ residents, especially seniors. Jordan said he expects overwhelming support for the measure in Rich Township.
“People have got some real concerns and people are hurting our way, I mean, literally hurting,” Jordan said.
He said Rich Township cut back on this year’s and next year’s budgets to prevent tax increases at the township level. Rich Township includes all or parts of Country Club Hills, Flossmoor, Hazel Crest, Homewood, Matteson, Olympia Fields, Park Forest, Richton Park, Tinley Park and University Park.
“We’re doing a lot more with less,” Jordan said.
O’Grady said similar issues affect Orland Township, which includes all or parts of Orland Park, Tinley Park, Orland Hills and unincorporated areas.
“I have heard from a number of constituents about the delays in the tax bills, the increases in the tax bills, the brutality of fighting the tax bills,” O’Grady said. “Many seniors who are on fixed incomes, who I primarily represent, they need that certainty. They need to know what their bill’s going to be.”
While acknowledging Orland Township has been unable to reduce its taxes due to financial issues, O’Grady expressed frustration with school districts that continue to raise taxes while maintaining large reserves. He said he hopes the General Assembly takes action to provide a rebate to homeowners.
O’Grady also expressed support for the federal tax credit scholarship program, hoping it would help make up for the absence of a state tax credit scholarship program that expired in December 2023.
“This is a way to say, ‘hey, do we think the federal government should step in where the state has stepped away?'” O’Grady said.
O’Grady said he is unsure whether residents will approve the referendum due to a lack of general knowledge about the program. He said the township is home to several private schools whose students might benefit from a similar program.
Palos Township Supervisor Colleen Grant Schumann and Thornton Township Supervisor Napoleon Harris did not respond to requests for comment on their townships’ referendums.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
