South Cook News

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 South Cook News. 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).

All told, the South Cook region represents 20 percent of Cook County properties and 29 percent of 2018’s delinquent tax bills, totaling 47,013.

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 South Cook County Delinquent Property Taxes 

Community	Total # Properties	Total '18 delinquent	% Delinquent	# sold at auction	% delinquent sold at auction
Ford Heights	2,274	1,070	47.1%	9	0.8%
Harvey	15,074	6,731	44.7%	166	2.5%
Robbins	5,755	2,110	36.7%	29	1.4%
Dixmoor	2,213	802	36.2%	12	1.5%
Riverdale	4,924	1,664	33.8%	99	5.9%
Phoenix	1,721	566	32.9%	19	3.4%
Chicago Heights	14,352	3,859	26.9%	149	3.9%
Sauk Village	3,620	887	24.5%	113	12.7%
Markham	9,643	2,240	23.2%	109	4.9%
Dolton	9,453	2,087	22.1%	193	9.2%
Burnham	2,154	460	21.4%	25	5.4%
Calumet Park	3,266	664	20.3%	33	5.0%
Hazel Crest	6,191	1,177	19.0%	87	7.4%
Calumet City	15,652	2,965	18.9%	238	8.0%
South Chicago Heights	2,223	399	17.9%	30	7.5%
Park Forest	6,479	1,146	17.7%	176	15.4%
Lynwood	3,591	616	17.2%	23	3.7%
Posen	3,122	439	14.1%	11	2.5%
Steger	3,258	423	13.0%	22	5.2%
Country Club Hills	6,466	815	12.6%	101	12.4%
Blue Island	8,372	1,016	12.1%	66	6.5%
Richton Park	4,557	543	11.9%	52	9.6%
Thornton	1,370	158	11.5%	9	5.7%
Summit	3,363	353	10.5%	25	7.1%
Matteson	7,859	823	10.5%	64	7.8%
South Holland	9,537	961	10.1%	83	8.6%
Olympia Fields	2,352	231	9.8%	34	14.7%
Lansing	12,982	1,255	9.7%	97	7.7%
Glenwood	3,988	379	9.5%	40	10.6%
East Hazel Crest	704	62	8.8%	7	11.3%
Flossmoor	4,293	372	8.7%	50	13.4%
Midlothian	6,160	527	8.6%	46	8.7%
Homewood	8,823	599	6.8%	63	10.5%
Chicago Ridge	4,620	298	6.5%	26	8.7%
Worth	4,263	271	6.4%	14	5.2%
Justice	3,399	212	6.2%	15	7.1%
Bridgeview	5,395	317	5.9%	24	7.6%
Alsip	7,529	434	5.8%	42	9.7%
Evergreen Park	9,064	522	5.8%	48	9.2%
Stickney	2,502	143	5.7%	9	6.3%
Oak Forest	10,991	589	5.4%	41	7.0%
Palos Hills	7,978	426	5.3%	26	6.1%
Merrionette Park	672	35	5.2%	5	14.3%
Burbank	10,033	520	5.2%	37	7.1%
Hickory Hills	5,221	259	5.0%	16	6.2%
Crestwood	6,393	308	4.8%	17	5.5%
Oak Lawn	26,179	1,255	4.8%	99	7.9%
Hometown	1,736	82	4.7%	4	4.9%
Palos Park	4,391	204	4.6%	23	11.3%
Palos Heights	6,575	284	4.3%	20	7.0%
Orland Hills	2,265	96	4.2%	4	4.2%
Orland Park	27,668	1,169	4.2%	65	5.6%
Tinley Park	21,115	844	4.0%	60	7.1%
Lemont	8,555	312	3.6%	23	7.4%
Bedford Park	1,093	34	3.1%	0	0.0%
TOTAL	373,428	47,013	12.6%	2,898	6.2%

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