Chicago residents are seeking explanations as property tax bills continue to escalate, leaving many questioning the value they’re receiving in return.

In Lawndale, a West Side neighborhood of Chicago, locals expressed their discontent to ABC7 Chicago, noting that despite rising property tax bills, there have been minimal enhancements in their communities. This sentiment of frustration prompted local leaders and the Lawndale Christian Development Corporation to organize a gathering at a neighborhood church, dubbed a “property tax bonfire,” as reported by the station.

“For the most part, there has been a lack of investment in this community,” said Milton Clayton, a resident of Lawndale. “Now that there’s interest in restoring the neighborhood, it feels like we’re being taxed for prosperity.”

An aerial view captures the homes in a Chicago neighborhood, taken on January 8, 2020. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Another Lawndale resident, Thomas Worthy, shared his experience, revealing that his recent property tax bill was $977 higher than the previous year.

“The tax increase is tied to a TIF that I have no idea why,” Worthy said. “It’s collecting money from our neighbors and our streets, but we’re not being notified for why it’s in the bill.”

A TIF, or tax increment financing, is a funding tool that uses the increase in property tax revenue within a designated area to fund local redevelopment and infrastructure projects, according to the City of Chicago’s government website.

“We understand utilities are going up and things of that nature, but it’s a valuation issue,” Worthy added. “We don’t have the schools we need. It’s economics that are not here, but we’re being charged to pay for economics in other people’s communities.”

The “Greetings from Chicago” mural brightens a street in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood on March 30, 2018. (Patrick Gorski/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Illinois Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization, found more than half of a Chicago homeowners’ property tax bill goes to Chicago Public Schools.

“Illinoisans pay the second-highest property tax rate in the U.S., shelling out about 2.07% of their property’s value each year. That’s more than double the national rate,” the organization noted. “It’s even worse in Cook and the collar counties. Cook County in 2022 ranked among the nation’s 100 most expensive for property taxes, with property taxpayers spending more than the typical homeowners in California’s Orange County, Los Angeles County or San Diego County.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is facing pushback from City Council members over his proposal to extract a record $1 billion from TIF districts to balance his $16 billion 2026 budget, The Chicago Tribune reported in late October.

The proposal would draw funds from 68 of the city’s 108 TIF districts, including several on the South and West Sides, raising concerns among aldermen about potential delays in long-promised neighborhood improvements.

Supporters say the move would shore up city finances and boost school funding.

Mayor of Chicago Brandon Johnson testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing with sanctuary city mayors, at the US Capitol, on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 in Washington, DC.  (Graeme Sloan for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said at a Chicago Rainbow PUSH Coalition event Saturday that homeowners can find property tax bill payment plans for up to 13 months.

“You do not have to pay your bill on December 15,” she told residents. “You hear that? You don’t have to pay it. Let me tell you why. We went to Springfield last year and set up a payment plan.”