In 1905 Elizabeth Frendreis’s grandfather bought the two-flat on Nelson Street in Lakeview in which she now lives. Last month she got a property reassessment notice from the county that made her wonder whether she’ll be able to stay. “My reassessment was 70 percent higher than it was last time,” she says. “Last time it was 72 percent higher than the time before. Each time my taxes go up. I can’t afford this. Are they trying to drive me out of my home where I’ve lived my whole life?”
Property taxes are calculated under a complicated system by the office of the county assessor, Jim Houlihan. “Property gets reassessed every three years,” says Maura Kownacki, a spokeswoman for the office. “Last year it was the south and southwest suburban townships that were reassessed. This year it’s the city. And next year it will be the north and northwest suburbs.” To determine a property’s value, she says, “our office will drive through an area, note any changes–if it’s an area with a lot of renovations. We’ll get a feel for an area. We compare property to other homes sold in the area. It’s a massive undertaking. There are about 1.6 million parcels of property in the county.”
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Frendreis, now a 62-year-old retiree on a fixed income, may not be making anything off the real estate boom, but she’s paying for it anyway. “My tax bill in 2000 was about $5,900,” she says. “With the reassessment it will go up to $8,635. That’s a lot of money. This is your basic two-flat frame. There’s nothing fancy about this. I was listening to [Channel 11’s] Bob Sirott one night. He had Houlihan on. Houlihan said the city’s being ‘revitalized.’ That’s what he called it–revitalized. Well, I had to laugh. How much revitalization can we stand? My property hasn’t revitalized. My brother lives on the first floor, so we have no rents to raise. My brother’s 65. This is where we want to stay.”
The problem isn’t new, yet the city and county continue to rely on the property tax. It helped finance much of the city’s construction over the last decade, and according to a recently published guide to municipal funding put out by the League of Women Voters of Chicago, it’s also being used to repay the city’s massive debt and contribute to the city’s pension funds. The tax also pays for the city’s schools and parks and much of the county’s government. “We have one of the most regressive tax systems in the country,” says Edna Pardo, who wrote the league’s guide. “Our state income tax rate is low, and it’s progressive. So of course the city and the county have to rely on the property tax.”
At 6 PM on Thursday, August 14, Monson, Head, Frendreis, and their allies will gather at 1851 N. Clark Street for a protest they’re calling the Chicago Tea Party. “This is the 230th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, so what a great way to celebrate,” says Head. “It turns out that David Kennison, who was the last survivor of the Boston Tea Party, is commemorated at this monument in the park just across the street. Everyone’s welcome. We’re looking for a big crowd.”
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Jon Randolph.
