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Ives calls Rauner property tax EO “pandering, ineffective”

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Illinois

On Friday, Gov. Bruce Rauner issued an Executive Order banning state legislators from representing clients before the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board. State Representative Jeanne Ives released the following statement in response:

“Governor Rauner’s order doesn’t ban legislators from doing property tax appeals work. It only prohibits them from representing clients at the state level. Speaker Madigan, Senate President Cullerton, and their cohorts make their money at the local level, in Cook County. Not the state level. This E.O. solves nothing other than Rauner’s need for a little good publicity in an election year.

“Lawmakers working to profit off of a property tax appeals system they control has hurt families and businesses for decades. Truly bold legislation would prohibit legislators from doing property tax appeals work at the state and local levels, the latter being the most important. Additionally, an Executive Order requiring legislators to disclose their property tax appeals clients and the fees they derive from those clients, just as legislators have to disclose sources of income over $5,000 and other investments, would better serve taxpayers than a watered-down Executive Order.

“Property taxes were one of the state’s most urgent problems when Governor Rauner took office in 2014. They were at confiscatory levels in Cook County’s Near Western and Southern Suburbs, Lake and McHenry County then. Now, they are even worse.

“From 2007 to 2017, families in Country Club Hills saw their effective property tax rates double from 2.30% to 4.44%. In Dolton, property owners saw their rates increase from 2.09% to 8.62%. Harvey sustained increases that took rates from 1.70% to 9.72%. In Riverdale, homeowners were punished with increases that took their property tax rate from 2.16% to 12.10%. Governor Rauner’s E.O does nothing to address the rising cost of owning property in Illinois.

“When he took office, Governor Rauner proposed a property tax freeze, which would only serve to maintain the status quo by locking in Illlinois’ ‘highest in the nation’ property tax rates. But even for that he wasn’t willing to fight.

“Illinois has had phony limitations for thirty years, which is why we have the highest property taxes in the nation. The state needs what I am proposing: a hard 1% cap on property taxes, like Indiana has.

“A property tax cap will force us to reconsider the way we fund schools and make the state pay the majority of the freight. Our goal is to return home equity and home value to Illinois homeowners, so they can get a real return on their investment.

“While Governor Rauner issues pandering, ineffective Executive Orders, Illinois families are struggling under the very real effects of his inaction.”

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jan 22, 18 @ 11:18 am

Comments

Always love it when the local control wackjobs start tellin’ locally elected officials what they can control and how to do it. Property taxes and the stuff they pay for are set by locally elected officials. Perhaps GovJunk and CommandoIves should just decree total control and cut assessments by some huge number. They we can bow down and toss rose petals in their paths.

Comment by Annonin' Monday, Jan 22, 18 @ 11:25 am
She forgot to mention Cook Co. residential property is accessed at a lower rate then every other county in the state. If she wants to look for high taxes, she should look at the collar counties.

Comment by DuPage Monday, Jan 22, 18 @ 11:32 am
Pot, meet kettle. Jeanne Ives’ main talking point on property tax reform is the creation of a “task force” that will “study” the assessment process statewide and “make recommendations” to ensure equity in assessments for all property owners. I have nothing against task forces, or her particular proposal for that matter, but if a “pandering, ineffective” task force proposal is all she has, she shouldn’t be throwing stones from her glass house.

Comment by Pritzker Plumbers Inc. Monday, Jan 22, 18 @ 11:34 am
Not to mention, he has zero constitutional authority to issue such an order. Would be nice if the Chicago press corps actually knew the law and pressed him on that, but from what I can see in the media coverage, no one did.

Comment by Roman Monday, Jan 22, 18 @ 11:38 am
She’s right about the pandering. I can’t imagine that his EO is legal.

Comment by Demoralized Monday, Jan 22, 18 @ 11:57 am
“Illinois has had phony limitations for thirty years, which is why we have the highest property taxes in the nation. The state needs what I am proposing: a hard 1% cap on property taxes, like Indiana has.

“A property tax cap will force us to reconsider the way we fund schools and make the state pay the majority of the freight. Our goal is to return home equity and home value to Illinois homeowners, so they can get a real return on their investment.

Ives just called for a massive tax hike. So will she vote for the huge income tax increase to make her statement happen?

Comment by Baggs McCoy Monday, Jan 22, 18 @ 12:01 pm
Man, she sounds a lot like Dan Proft.

Comment by Kane County Cougar Monday, Jan 22, 18 @ 12:36 pm
The property tax rates in the south suburbs are killers at this point. When I grew up in Dolton there was one nice house in particular (later Mel Reynolds owned it) and I can only imagine what they are paying in property taxes on that place now.

When you have no property tax base you have to squeeze those who live there harder for municipal services.

Comment by OneMan Monday, Jan 22, 18 @ 12:45 pm
That’s a fascinating assessment coming from a person whose entire campaign is pandering.

Comment by Jack Kemp Monday, Jan 22, 18 @ 12:50 pm
=“From 2007 to 2017, families in Country Club Hills saw their effective property tax rates double from 2.30% to 4.44%. In Dolton, property owners saw their rates increase from 2.09% to 8.62%. Harvey sustained increases that took rates from 1.70% to 9.72%. In Riverdale, homeowners were punished with increases that took their property tax rate from 2.16% to 12.10%. =

Hmmm, what major, local, national, and world wide event took place during that time frame?

When property values drop the cost to run a school and other municipal services does not change.

If Ives wants the state to pay the freight, that money has to come from somewhere. She isn’t going to go for a tax hike. I am pretty sure she will try some unlawful run at pensions.

Comment by JS Mill Monday, Jan 22, 18 @ 1:02 pm
EO will be another Rauner losing lawsuit waste of taxpayer’s money.

Comment by RNUG Monday, Jan 22, 18 @ 2:38 pm
Be nice if these politicians could do basic math. Between 70% and 90% of the property tax is for schools. If you want to lower local property taxes, you have to lower the school levy.

Unless you are going to close the schools, the main way to lower the school property tax levy is to increase state funding of schools.

Until I see a candidate seriously propose an increased and dedicated State tax in exchange for a lowered school property tax, I’ll continue to ignore their property tax propaganda

Comment by RNUG Monday, Jan 22, 18 @ 2:45 pm
So Jeanne Ives is for Property tax increases across the board?
as has been pointed out, school boards, residential forclosures vacancy, decreased business sales taxes collected all contribute to the need to raise the property tax levy in certain municipalities

Comment by CCrider Monday, Jan 22, 18 @ 2:57 pm
Unfortunately, ‘pandering’ and ‘ineffective’ are two of Bruce’s best qualities.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Monday, Jan 22, 18 @ 3:25 pm