CHICAGO , Oct. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- More property owners failed to pay their property taxes on time following record increases in south suburban residential tax bills this year, according to an analysis by the Office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas . The spike in south suburban tax delinquencies, combined with a smaller collections dropoff in other parts of the county, led to $225 million in additional taxes going uncollected.
That puts more residents at risk of losing their homes and squeezes finances for schools, municipalities and other taxing districts, according to the latest edition of the Pappas Portal newsletter. Cook suburbs with the lowest collection rates were Ford Heights (31.38%), Robbins (50.
06%), Harvey (52.19%), Phoenix (60.78%), Riverdale (67.
19%), Willow Springs (73.38%), Dixmoor (73.68%), Calumet Park (77.
98%), Chicago Heights (78.99%) and Dolton (79.06%).
"Many south suburban residents saw their tax bills jump thousands of dollars this year," Pappas said. "A lot of homeowners had to choose between paying their property taxes on time or buying medicine, food and gas. Now their homes may be at risk.
" Taxpayers still can avoid the Annual Tax Sale, Pappas said. The sale, which can lead to the loss of one's property, is held about 13 months after the due date. Pappas proposed legislation signed into law last year that halved the interest rate on late tax payments to 9% annually to ease the burden on struggling homeowners.
A new property tax payment cal.
