Steep property tax hikes to hit Chicago businesses struggling from pandemic

By Amy Korte

11/02/2021

While phasing in the tax impact of sharp increases in assessed value could help Cook County’s commercial property owners adjust, holding down property taxes requires reducing spending through public pension reform in Illinois.

TAGS: Chicago, Cook County, COVID-19, property taxes, small business

Feds investigate property tax bribery scheme in Cook County

By Patrick Andriesen

07/19/2021

A Board of Review employee claims corruption is rampant in his Cook County office after an FBI affidavit states he was charging $2,000 to lower assessment on commercial properties and $1,000 for homes.

TAGS: bribery, Cook County, FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation

Chicago and Cook County raise minimum wage today

By Patrick Andriesen

07/01/2021

The minimum wage for residents working in Chicago and Cook County is increasing July 1. Research suggests the rise in wage rates will benefit the working Chicagoans at the expense of the city’s vulnerable unemployed.

TAGS: Chicago, Cook County, minimum wage

What to know about voting early or by mail before April 6 in Cook County

By Patrick Andriesen

03/16/2021

Cook County voters have calendar dates to watch if they are voting early or by mail ahead of the April 6 election. Here’s what they need to know.

TAGS: Cook County, early voting, election, vote-by-mail

Chicago’s higher property taxes hit March 2

By Brad Weisenstein

03/01/2021

Cook County’s first property tax payments are due March 2. In Chicago, property taxes have grown more than 3 times faster than inflation for 20 years.

TAGS: Chicago, Cook County, pensions, property taxes

‘Fair tax’ is no fix for out-of-control Cook County property taxes

10/28/2020

Cook County property taxes have grown at triple the rate of the cost of living. The “fair tax” backers promise it will bring property tax relief, but the evidence refutes their claim.

TAGS: Cook County, fair tax, JB Pritzker, property taxes

Bribery charge, resignations hit prominent players in red-light camera scandal

By Ben Szalinski

03/09/2020

A Cook County commissioner quits as a former city administrator faces a bribery charge. Both played roles in the rise of red-light cameras and vendor SafeSpeed.

TAGS: Chicago Department of Aviation, conflict of interest, Cook County, corruption, IDOT: Illinois Department of Transportation, Jeff Tobolski, Lyons, Martin Sandoval, McCook, Oak Brook, Patrick Doherty, red light cameras, SafeSpeed, Toni Preckwinkle

Why the soda tax ‘worked’ and the progressive tax won’t

By Austin Berg

02/28/2020

There’s no doubt: the county taxed soda more, so people bought less of it. It’s a simple lesson. So why doesn’t Springfield get it?

TAGS: Cook County, home price index, Illinois Constitution, JB Pritzker, outmigration, progressive income tax, property taxes, soda tax, tax burden, Toni Preckwinkle

Blagojevich comes home to America’s most corrupt city

By Ben Szalinski

02/26/2020

Chicago and the state of Illinois are notorious around the country for high-profile corruption convictions. Rod Blagojevich settles back in after the former governor’s imprisonment for corruption.

TAGS: Chicago, conflict of interest, conviction, Cook County, cooling off period, corruption, ethics, FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jeff Tobolski, lobbying, Martin Sandoval, Patrick Doherty, prison, red light cameras, revolving door, Rod Blagojevich, SafeSpeed, watchdog

Illinois home price growth slowest in nation last year

By Bryce Hill

02/03/2020

Home price appreciation in Illinois was the slowest in the U.S. between the third quarter of 2018 and the third quarter of 2019, federal data showed.

TAGS: Chicago, Chicagoland, Cook County, government spending, Great Recession, home values, homeownership, household income, housing, housing market, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, income tax, Indiana, investment, JB Pritzker, Lake County, mortgage, recession, spending, Springfield, tax hikes, tax increase