With some residents facing record-high increases to their property taxes, Cook County commissioners on Thursday approved giving one-time payments of $1,000 to a limited number of households struggling the most.
Those eligible to apply must have a tax bill that has climbed at least 50% in any year since 2021, and have a household income at or below 100% of the area median income for an applicant’s household size. For example, that would include a family of four making less than $120,000 a year, according to the county.
The county estimates about 112,000 households are eligible. Commissioner Bridget Gainer, a North Side Democrat who led the effort, hopes to open up applications in June and get payments out soon after.
No commissioner spoke out against it. Commissioner Donna Miller, a Democrat who represents the south suburbs, where many homeowners have experienced record increases in their property tax bills, said she hoped the payments would come to residents in her area of the county where the need is high.
“There’s many areas, especially in my district and maybe other districts as well, where seniors are the majority of homeowners,” Miller said. “Losing your home to property taxes or having that stress on you is causing a great deal of problems.”
The $1,000 payments are part of a new homeowner relief fund the county approved last fall to help urgently address one of the biggest headaches for residents — unexpected skyrocketing property tax bills — while commissioners continue to push lawmakers in Springfield to approve longer-term property tax reform.
The county partnered with the University of Chicago to dig into what’s fueling the big tax increases and who is hurt the most. They found that older adults struggle in particular, as well as residents who live in gentrifying neighborhoods and in the south suburbs, where the commercial property tax base has dwindled.
Separately, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ office found that in 2023, in suburbs south of North Avenue, the median tax bill climbed nearly 20% — the largest increase for any area reassessed in Cook County in almost 30 years.
The county has budgeted $15 million for the homeowner relief fund, which would provide payments to about 13,600 people. The county estimates it would cost another $1.4 million to run the new program. On Thursday, commissioners awarded that contract to Denver-based company AidKit. The company would develop the application and website for the one-time payments, review applications and pick applicants to receive the money.
AidKit may use a lottery system to select applicants, county records show, similar to the one used for the county’s guaranteed income pilot program.
Kristen Schorsch covers public health and Cook County for WBEZ.