Lake County trails only DuPage County when it comes to the collar counties around Chicago. Like many of its collar county brethren, Lake is a combination of suburban areas, rural communities, and post-industrial towns. Fremont Township embodies this varied economic and cultural tapestry well, while having a charm all its own. Like most of the county, Fremont Township walks a line between being independent and being influenced by Chicago. One thing that Fremont Township cannot escape is rising property values and taxes. Thanks to the growing mess in Cook County and the general state of taxes across Illinois, both homes and businesses are seeing their values spike. As populations, demographics, and economies shift, this may become a larger problem every year. The collar counties have turned to property tax appeals to balance things out, and Fremont is no exception. O’Connor will explore how values are being impacted and how taxpayers... Read More

The 2023 reassessment of Cook County was a watershed moment for the people of Chicago and Illinois at large. When the Cook County Assessor’s Office (CCAO) was through with their triennial sweep of Chicago’s southern areas, devastation for taxpayers was widespread. Some property owners saw assessed value hikes as high as 700%. Average spikes were between 30-50%, which alone made many homes unaffordable. As many of the townships were home to working families and middle-class people, this led to accusations of gentrification and saw many families sell their homes or lose them outright. Businesses were hit equally hard, forcing many to shutter their doors. The response from taxpayers to this was swift. Property tax appeals hit an all-time high, while many futile attempts were made to fix the problem legislatively. Even the CCAO was forced to encourage people to protest their taxes. Soon, it was discovered that many errors were... Read More

The 2024 reassessment of Chicago shook all of Cook County and Illinois as a whole. Targeting Chicago itself, this leg of the triennial reassessment saw record increases in both property values and taxes. Coupled with the devastating results from 2023, the 2024 outing was so severe that it pushed legislators across the state to action. Even the head of the Cook County Assessor’s Office (CCAO) encouraged diligence and even property tax appeals to bring things under control. One of the largest victims of the 2024 reassessment was the township of West Chicago. Home values soared 21% collectively, while commercial property jumped a dazzling 34%. This was a blow to both home and business owners and instilled in the minds of many taxpayers that they had to do something in the future to protect themselves. In 2025, assessments are again showing an increase, albeit a tiny one relative to 2024. This... Read More

The 2023 reassessment of Chicago’s southern and western suburbs was one for the history books and one that has left a lasting legacy across all of Cook County. This was the event that brought property hikes and questions about the competency of the Cook County Assessor’s Office (CCAO) to the forefront. When the numbers began to be known publicly, taxpayers across the Chicago area were terrified. Average increases of 50% for residential properties, with some individual homes seeing jumps of 500% or even 700%. Some neighborhoods and townships saw figures that were certain to cause mass gentrification. The outrage was felt beyond these areas, and a demand for accountability and change swept through Cook County and Illinois. Various legislative means were tried, but all failed due to political infighting. All the while, the other two thirds of Cook County knew that they were on borrowed time, as they would face... Read More

Aurora is the most populous township in Kane County and one of the biggest in Illinois. Becoming something of a capital for the collar counties surrounding Chicago, Aurora embodies the growing hybridization of suburbia and urban development. Armed with all the amenities of a big city and tinged with a suburban feel, Aurora is attracting more residents and businesses than ever before and is becoming an economic powerhouse. This success and the proximity to Cook County has not been all wine and roses, however, and Aurora Township is beginning to see a huge impact from rising property values. While some increase is evidence of healthy economic growth, there have been many spikes in the region that are above inflation and the expectations of experts. This means that the Aurora Township Assessor could be overvaluing properties in an attempt to raise revenues. The only way to counter these aggressive policies is... Read More