Chicago City Wire

The threat of local government seizing and auctioning off one’s property once motivated Illinoisans to promptly pay their real estate taxes. Or else.

But in a growing number of Cook County suburbs and Chicago neighborhoods suffering under high property tax bills, that threat is now officially empty.

More than 163,000 Cook County property taxpayers didn’t pay their bills this year, according to an analysis of Cook County Treasurer records by Chicago City Wire. That’s about 9 percent of the county’s 1.88 million total.

But only 7 percent of those delinquent properties -- 11,780 -- were able to attract a buyer at the county auction, the analysis showed.

The remaining 150,000 properties — in arrears on property taxes in perpetuity because their bills are so high as to deem them unwanted — represent yet another warning of sorts for Cook County politicians who believe they can tax and spend with impunity.

There exists a breaking point in which property owners realize it is no longer worth it to continue paying their bills, that there is no longer a downside to tax delinquency. In many Cook County communities, it has already been reached.

Nine bids on 1,070 properties offered

In south suburban Ford Heights, Cook County Treasurer records show 47 percent of property owners didn’t pay their property taxes in 2018 -- 1,070 out of 2,274.

This includes most owners of 13 of the 20 supposedly highest-valued properties in town. 

Nine of the 1,070 attracted a buyer at auction. The market says the rest of them are, effectively, worthless or even worse. 

That’s not to their owners, however, who can continue to occupy them until the market improves, resting assured that their local taxing districts don’t want the properties, either. 

In 12 Cook County communities, including Ford Heights, more than 20 percent of property owners didn’t pay their 2018 tax bills. All are in the south suburbs. They are Harvey (45 percent), Robbins (37 percent), Dixmoor (36 percent), Riverdale (34 percent), Phoenix (33 percent), Chicago Heights (27 percent), Sauk Village (25 percent), Markham (23 percent), Dolton (22 percent), Burnham (21 percent) and Calumet Park (20 percent).

Another 21 Cook County suburban communities have property tax delinquency rates of more than 10 percent; 17 are in the south suburbs. They are Hazel Crest (19 percent), Calumet City (19 percent), South Chicago Heights (18 percent), Park Forest (18 percent), Lynwood (17 percent), Posen (14 percent), Steger (13 percent), Country Club Hills (13 percent), Blue Island (12 percent), Richton Park (12 percent), Thornton (12 percent), Summit (10 percent), Matteson (10 percent), South Holland (10 percent), Olympia Fields (10 percent), Lansing (10 percent) and Glenwood (10 percent).

The City of Chicago represents 48 percent of Cook County and 54 percent of delinquent tax bills, or 87,962.

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Cook County Delinquent Property Taxes

Region	Total # Properties	% of Cook	Total '18 Delinquent	% of Cook	% Delinquent
South Cook	373,428	19.9%	47,013	28.8%	12.6%
West Cook	194,691	10.4%	11,970	7.3%	6.1%
North Cook	417,696	22.2%	16,091	9.9%	3.9%
City of Chicago	892,155	47.5%	87,962	54.0%	9.9%
TOTALS	1,877,970	100.0%	163,036	100.0%

Delinquent Cook County Property Sold at Auction in 2018

Region	% Delinquent	# sold at auction	% delinquent sold at auction	# Dormant properties
South Cook	12.6%	2,898	6.2%	44,115
West Cook	6.1%	968	8.1%	11,002
North Cook	3.9%	1,232	7.7%	14,859
City of Chicago	9.9%	6,683	7.6%	81,279
TOTALS		11,781		151,255

2018 Cook County Delinquent Property Taxes 

Community	Region	Total # Properties	Total '18 delinquent	% Delinquent	# sold at auction	% delinquent sold at auction
Alsip	South Cook	7,529	434	5.8%	42	9.7%
Arlington Heights	North Cook	31,234	1,035	3.3%	85	8.2%
Barrington	North Cook	3,139	136	4.3%	12	8.8%
Barrington Hills	North Cook	1,351	84	6.2%	8	9.5%
Bartlett	North Cook	6,165	200	3.2%	13	6.5%
Bedford Park	South Cook	1,093	34	3.1%	0	0.0%
Bellwood	West Cook	6,808	749	11.0%	66	8.8%
Berkeley	West Cook	2,464	102	4.1%	5	4.9%
Berwyn	West Cook	15,676	930	5.9%	110	11.8%
Blue Island	South Cook	8,372	1,016	12.1%	66	6.5%
Bridgeview	South Cook	5,395	317	5.9%	24	7.6%
Broadview	West Cook	3,289	231	7.0%	8	3.5%
Brookfield	West Cook	8,892	356	4.0%	29	8.1%
Buffalo Grove	North Cook	6,269	223	3.6%	15	6.7%
Burbank	South Cook	10,033	520	5.2%	37	7.1%
Burnham	South Cook	2,154	460	21.4%	25	5.4%
Burr Ridge	West Cook	2,147	118	5.5%	8	6.8%
Calumet City	South Cook	15,652	2,965	18.9%	238	8.0%
Calumet Park	South Cook	3,266	664	20.3%	33	5.0%
Chicago Heights	South Cook	14,352	3,859	26.9%	149	3.9%
Chicago Ridge	South Cook	4,620	298	6.5%	26	8.7%
Cicero	West Cook	17,390	1,707	9.8%	112	6.6%
City of Chicago	Chicago	892,155	87,962	9.9%	6,683	7.6%
Country Club Hills	South Cook	6,466	815	12.6%	101	12.4%
Countryside	West Cook	2,801	144	5.1%	15	10.4%
Crestwood	South Cook	6,393	308	4.8%	17	5.5%
Deercrest Estates	North Cook	590	23	3.9%	5	21.7%
Des Plaines	North Cook	31,632	1,293	4.1%	81	6.3%
Dixmoor	South Cook	2,213	802	36.2%	12	1.5%
Dolton	South Cook	9,453	2,087	22.1%	193	9.2%
East Hazel Crest	South Cook	704	62	8.8%	7	11.3%
Elgin	North Cook	8,359	337	4.0%	21	6.2%
Elk Grove Village	North Cook	14,722	470	3.2%	28	6.0%
Elmwood Park	West Cook	8,421	433	5.1%	39	9.0%
Evanston	North Cook	25,578	1,104	4.3%	77	7.0%
Evergreen Park	South Cook	9,064	522	5.8%	48	9.2%
Flossmoor	South Cook	4,293	372	8.7%	50	13.4%
Ford Heights	South Cook	2,274	1,070	47.1%	9	0.8%
Forest Park	West Cook	6,090	300	4.9%	25	8.3%
Forest View	West Cook	470	13	2.8%	0	0.0%
Franklin Park	West Cook	8,052	506	6.3%	30	5.9%
Glencoe	North Cook	3,803	180	4.7%	17	9.4%
Glenview	North Cook	21,576	845	3.9%	71	8.4%
Glenwood	South Cook	3,988	379	9.5%	40	10.6%
Hanover Park	North Cook	5,548	238	4.3%	24	10.1%
Harvey	South Cook	15,074	6,731	44.7%	166	2.5%
Harwood Heights	West Cook	2,920	119	4.1%	12	10.1%
Hazel Crest	South Cook	6,191	1,177	19.0%	87	7.4%
Hickory Hills	South Cook	5,221	259	5.0%	16	6.2%
Hillside	West Cook	3,542	189	5.3%	17	9.0%
Hinsdale	West Cook	1,040	52	5.0%	8	15.4%
Hodgkins	West Cook	614	15	2.4%	2	13.3%
Hoffman Estates	North Cook	17,796	667	3.7%	54	8.1%
Hometown	South Cook	1,736	82	4.7%	4	4.9%
Homewood	South Cook	8,823	599	6.8%	63	10.5%
Indian Head Park	West Cook	2,274	92	4.0%	12	13.0%
Inverness	North Cook	3,341	148	4.4%	6	4.1%
Justice	South Cook	3,399	212	6.2%	15	7.1%
Kenilworth	North Cook	1,024	50	4.9%	2	4.0%
La Grange	West Cook	6,718	285	4.2%	26	9.1%
La Grange Highlands	West Cook	1,088	46	4.2%	3	6.5%
La Grange Park	West Cook	4,709	151	3.2%	13	8.6%
Lansing	South Cook	12,982	1,255	9.7%	97	7.7%
Lemont	South Cook	8,555	312	3.6%	23	7.4%
Lincolnwood	North Cook	5,746	298	5.2%	32	10.7%
Lynwood	South Cook	3,591	616	17.2%	23	3.7%
Lyons	West Cook	4,134	262	6.3%	34	13.0%
Markham	South Cook	9,643	2,240	23.2%	109	4.9%
Matteson	South Cook	7,859	823	10.5%	64	7.8%
Maywood	West Cook	7,971	1,431	18.0%	118	8.2%
McCook	West Cook	373	14	3.8%	0	0.0%
Melrose Park	West Cook	9,446	677	7.2%	42	6.2%
Merrionette Park	South Cook	672	35	5.2%	5	14.3%
Midlothian	South Cook	6,160	527	8.6%	46	8.7%
Mission Hills Estates	North Cook	340	18	5.3%	2	11.1%
Morton Grove	North Cook	11,203	425	3.8%	22	5.2%
Mount Prospect	North Cook	19,117	607	3.2%	32	5.3%
Niles	North Cook	12,050	430	3.6%	34	7.9%
Norridge	West Cook	5,783	192	3.3%	11	5.7%
North Riverside	West Cook	2,675	107	4.0%	5	4.7%
Northbrook	North Cook	15,660	621	4.0%	56	9.0%
Northfield	North Cook	3,075	150	4.9%	17	11.3%
Northlake	West Cook	4,278	240	5.6%	19	7.9%
Oak Forest	South Cook	10,991	589	5.4%	41	7.0%
Oak Lawn	South Cook	26,179	1,255	4.8%	99	7.9%
Oak Park	West Cook	19,246	929	4.8%	71	7.6%
Olympia Fields	South Cook	2,352	231	9.8%	34	14.7%
Orland Hills	South Cook	2,265	96	4.2%	4	4.2%
Orland Park	South Cook	27,668	1,169	4.2%	65	5.6%
Palatine	North Cook	28,027	1,031	3.7%	86	8.3%
Palos Heights	South Cook	6,575	284	4.3%	20	7.0%
Palos Hills	South Cook	7,978	426	5.3%	26	6.1%
Palos Park	South Cook	4,391	204	4.6%	23	11.3%
Park Forest	South Cook	6,479	1,146	17.7%	176	15.4%
Park Ridge	North Cook	16,597	605	3.6%	44	7.3%
Phoenix	South Cook	1,721	566	32.9%	19	3.4%
Posen	South Cook	3,122	439	14.1%	11	2.5%
Prospect Heights	North Cook	5,938	268	4.5%	20	7.5%
Richton Park	South Cook	4,557	543	11.9%	52	9.6%
River Forest	West Cook	4,553	216	4.7%	25	11.6%
River Grove	West Cook	3,616	174	4.8%	10	5.7%
Riverdale	South Cook	4,924	1,664	33.8%	99	5.9%
Riverside	West Cook	3,743	145	3.9%	9	6.2%
Robbins	South Cook	5,755	2,110	36.7%	29	1.4%
Rolling Meadows	North Cook	9,340	371	4.0%	21	5.7%
Roselle	North Cook	1,858	85	4.6%	5	5.9%
Rosemont	North Cook	1,575	45	2.9%	2	4.4%
Sauk Village	South Cook	3,620	887	24.5%	113	12.7%
Schaumburg	North Cook	29,308	996	3.4%	65	6.5%
Schiller Park	West Cook	4,711	258	5.5%	20	7.8%
Skokie	North Cook	28,776	1,174	4.1%	99	8.4%
South Barrington	North Cook	2,350	104	4.4%	8	7.7%
South Chicago Heights	South Cook	2,223	399	17.9%	30	7.5%
South Holland	South Cook	9,537	961	10.1%	83	8.6%
Steger	South Cook	3,258	423	13.0%	22	5.2%
Stickney	South Cook	2,502	143	5.7%	9	6.3%
Stone Park	West Cook	1,273	130	10.2%	16	12.3%
Streamwood	North Cook	14,585	603	4.1%	57	9.5%
Summit	South Cook	3,363	353	10.5%	25	7.1%
Thornton	South Cook	1,370	158	11.5%	9	5.7%
Tinley Park	South Cook	21,115	844	4.0%	60	7.1%
Westchester	West Cook	8,517	305	3.6%	24	7.9%
Western Springs	West Cook	5,527	194	3.5%	17	8.8%
Wheeling	North Cook	13,942	513	3.7%	43	8.4%
Willow Springs	West Cook	3,440	158	4.6%	7	4.4%
Wilmette	North Cook	10,889	430	3.9%	29	6.7%
Winnetka	North Cook	5,193	284	5.5%	39	13.7%
Worth	South Cook	4,263	271	6.4%	14	5.2%
TOTALS		1,877,970	163,036	8.7%	11,781	7.2%

Sources: Cook County Treasurer, Cook County Assessor, Cook County Recorder, Blockshopper.com