Property taxes keep going up, but services aren’t improving. Paying more and getting less is a trend that residents want to see reversed.

With billions in federal COVID-19 relief earmarked for Illinois schools and local government, Gov. J.B. Pritzker pushed them to use the money to lower or freeze property taxes. He made no mention of the state’s role in pushing property taxes to the second-highest in the U.S.

A bill to eliminate some of Illinois’ 1,400 townships is on hold, but state lawmakers could revive it and give voters the power to reduce their property tax bills.