FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS – October 1 is the deadline for St. Clair County residents to make the second installments of their real estate property taxes. Unfortunately, Illinois continues to have the second-highest property tax rate in the nation, behind only New Jersey.
Specifically, St. Clair County has one of the highest median property taxes in the United States and is ranked 328th of the 3143 counties in order of median property taxes, according to tax-rates.org
“It is really discouraging that our hard-working Illinois families have this extra property tax burden along with record inflation, grocery prices, and energy costs,” said Jennifer Korte, candidate for the 112th District Illinois House. “Our elected officials are failing us, especially here in the Metro East where businesses can easily plant their roots across state lines where they are taxed less. If elected I will make one of my top priorities supporting legislation to freeze and outright reduce property taxes in Illinois.”
St. Clair property tax rates nearly doubled between 1996 and 2016, increasing burdens on Illinois families. The median owner-occupied property tax bill in St. Clair County in 2020 was $2,990.00, according to a recent Tax Foundation study.
In addition to the lack of reduction, local governments are now scrambling to fill budget holes left by the SAFE-T ACT. For example, Kane County is considering its first property tax increase in a decade in part to fill a $3 million hole stemming from new SAFE-T Act mandates.
Despite receiving billions of dollars from the federal government in aid, Gov. Pritzker and his supporters have failed to bring any meaningful relief for property owners, and instead put the money back into big government programs and pensions.
