Latest news with #MariaPappas'
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wealthy white homeowners vote more on property tax hike proposals in Cook County, study finds
Some suburban voters are facing key decisions about hiking property taxes in the April 1 election, but if the past is precedent, 'the few will decide for the many' again, according to a report from Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas' office. Referendums for $45 million in infrastructure spending in Western Springs, $94.9 million in school upgrades in Northbrook, and for permission to go above state tax caps in the Northfield Park District, Prospect Heights and Roselle are on the ballot this spring. And Pappas' office found a small number of voters — largely rich, white homeowners — tend to have the strongest turnout for these types of property tax votes. The treasurer's office report compared turnout with census data on race, income and home ownership to reach its conclusions. Pappas, whose office mails property tax bills, previously released an analysis showing low turnout on pocketbook issues further down ballot, arguing more voter engagement would keep rising taxes under control. Average turnout across the county for property-tax-related issues in the 2024 primary was just 20.9%, according to the report. Less than a quarter of all Chicago voters, for example, gave their say on the 'Bring Chicago Home' question, which did not pass. 'Rising property taxes always anger property owners. Despite that, most don't vote in referendums that determine whether their taxes go up or down,' Pappas said in a release. In the 2024 elections, the treasurer's report found, the average turnout for property tax-related referendums went above 50% only in districts where the median household income was more than $100,000. Average turnout was just 34% in areas where median household income was below $82,000, which is the countywide median income. Part of the difference is due to the fact wealthier districts put more of their referendum questions on the general election ballot, when voter turnout is typically higher. But the study found for both 2024 elections, ballot drop-off — or the tendency to only vote on issues at the top of the ballot and skip things lower down like referendum questions — was higher in lowest-income taxing districts, too. Turnout in south suburban Robbins was 14.1% when voters approved a park district request for a property tax extension last year. The median household income is below $38,000 there, and the referendum's passage added $132 to the annual property tax bill for a $100,000 home there. Along the North Shore in Kenilworth, where median household income is over $250,000, turnout was more than twice the rate in Robbins when Kenilworth village officials requested permission for a $2.5 million beach bond issuance. Referendum turnout in majority white taxing districts in 2024 was also 'significantly' higher than Black, Latino and majority-minority districts, the analysis found. While median drop-off rates in majority white and majority Black districts were less than 6%, that rate increased to '11% in majority Latino districts and nearly 13% in majority-minority districts,' the report said. It was a similar phenomenon for referendums held from 2020 through 2023: 'majority white districts with median household incomes greater than $100,000 had the strongest voter turnout.' Districts with high home ownership also corresponded to higher turnout in 2024, the analysis found. In districts where fewer than 80% of units were owner-occupied, average turnout was just 34%, but in taxing districts where 80% or more of residents own their homes, average turnout exceeded 55%. The trend was similar in 2023, officials say. Both homeowners and renters pay property taxes, but homeowners pay directly while renters have that cost factored into monthly leases. Last year, voters approved 14 of 15 referendums from taxing bodies asking permission to borrow money above state limits. The lone failure was a nearly $90 million bond issue for Avoca School District 37 in the North Shore. Between 2020 and 2023, voters approved about 80% of similar referendums, last year's report found. All three referendums asking voters for home rule powers also passed last year in Richton Park, Roselle and Glencoe. Those powers allow municipalities to impose different kinds of taxes, issue new debt and go beyond state caps on property tax increases.
Axios
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Axios
How wealth and race shape who decides property tax referendums
A new study released Wednesday by the Cook County Treasurer's Office found that wealthier, white voters are deciding the outcome of property tax referendums. The big picture: " Voter Turnout, Race, Income and the Fate of Property Tax Referendums" was the first study by Treasurer Maria Pappas' office that compared income, race and homeownership status in relation to referendum voter turnout. Average turnout last year for tax-related referendums was about 46%. But for voters with median household income less than the county median of $81,800, turnout was only 34%. Turnout jumped to nearly 63% for voters with median household incomes over $150,000. Between the lines: Referendum voting is lower than overall turnout as voters often skip the measures because of lack of information or not being impacted by the outcome. State of play: Last year, Cook County voters were asked to weigh in on 35 property tax-related referendums, 30 of which were tax increases. Voters approved 26 measures. Several asked voters to borrow above state limits to improve parks, schools and a new library, and nearly all of those measures passed. Smaller municipalities are limited by state law in how much they can increase property taxes, but voters in south suburban Robbins and Palos and west suburban Riverside passed measures that would allow a hike. Voters in suburban Thornton Township voted against raising property taxes to fund mental health care, but Chicago voters approved two new mental health care programs through a 0.025% increase. Zoom in: One of the most well-known referendums on the primary ballot was Mayor Brandon Johnson's "Bring Chicago Home" initiative, which would have raised transfer taxes on properties that sold for over $1 million to help address homelessness. It failed. Wealthier property owners would have been most adversely affected by the measure, and more higher-income voters weighed in during the primary than lower-income voters. Another case in point: In south suburban Robbins, fewer than 73% of residents are homeowners and the median household income is less than $38,000, compared to over 97% home ownership in North Shore Kenilworth, which has a median household income over $250,000. Robbins had one of the lowest turnouts in last year's primary (14%) while Kenilworth had one of the highest (33.5%). By the numbers: Average voter turnout in majority white taxing districts was 55% in last year's elections, compared to 33% in Black-majority and 29% in Hispanic or Latino. Average referendum turnout was about 46%, up from 34% over the previous four years. This jump was despite Cook County last year having its lowest turnout for a presidential election in more than 30 years. What's next: There's a consolidated election on April 1 with eight property-related referendums on the ballot, including an increase in taxes for mental health services in Palatine and taking on hundreds of millions of dollars in debt in several western suburbs.
Chicago Tribune
26-03-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Wealthy white homeowners vote more on property tax hike proposals in Cook County, study finds
Some suburban voters are facing key decisions about hiking property taxes in the April 1 election, but if the past is precedent, 'the few will decide for the many' again, according to a report from Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas' office. Referendums for $45 million in infrastructure spending in Western Springs, $94.9 million in school upgrades in Northbrook, and for permission to go above state tax caps in the Northfield Park District, Prospect Heights and Roselle are on the ballot this spring. And Pappas' office found a small number of voters — largely rich, white homeowners — tend to have the strongest turnout for these types of property tax votes. The treasurer's office report compared turnout with census data on race, income and home ownership to reach its conclusions. Pappas, whose office mails property tax bills, previously released an analysis showing low turnout on pocketbook issues further down ballot, arguing more voter engagement would keep rising taxes under control. Average turnout across the county for property-tax-related issues in the 2024 primary was just 20.9%, according to the report. Less than a quarter of all Chicago voters, for example, gave their say on the 'Bring Chicago Home' question, which did not pass. 'Rising property taxes always anger property owners. Despite that, most don't vote in referendums that determine whether their taxes go up or down,' Pappas said in a release. In the 2024 elections, the treasurer's report found, the average turnout for property tax-related referendums went above 50% only in districts where the median household income was more than $100,000. Average turnout was just 34% in areas where median household income was below $82,000, which is the countywide median income. Part of the difference is due to the fact wealthier districts put more of their referendum questions on the general election ballot, when voter turnout is typically higher. But the study found for both 2024 elections, ballot drop-off — or the tendency to only vote on issues at the top of the ballot and skip things lower down like referendum questions — was higher in lowest-income taxing districts, too. Turnout in south suburban Robbins was 14.1% when voters approved a park district request for a property tax extension last year. The median household income is below $38,000 there, and the referendum's passage added $132 to the annual property tax bill for a $100,000 home there. Along the North Shore in Kenilworth, where median household income is over $250,000, turnout was more than twice the rate in Robbins when Kenilworth village officials requested permission for a $2.5 million beach bond issuance. Referendum turnout in majority white taxing districts in 2024 was also 'significantly' higher than Black, Latino and majority-minority districts, the analysis found. While median drop-off rates in majority white and majority Black districts were less than 6%, that rate increased to '11% in majority Latino districts and nearly 13% in majority-minority districts,' the report said. It was a similar phenomenon for referendums held from 2020 through 2023: 'majority white districts with median household incomes greater than $100,000 had the strongest voter turnout.' Districts with high home ownership also corresponded to higher turnout in 2024, the analysis found. In districts where fewer than 80% of units were owner-occupied, average turnout was just 34%, but in taxing districts where 80% or more of residents own their homes, average turnout exceeded 55%. The trend was similar in 2023, officials say. Both homeowners and renters pay property taxes, but homeowners pay directly while renters have that cost factored into monthly leases. Last year, voters approved 14 of 15 referendums from taxing bodies asking permission to borrow money above state limits. The lone failure was a nearly $90 million bond issue for Avoca School District 37 in the North Shore. Between 2020 and 2023, voters approved about 80% of similar referendums, last year's report found. All three referendums asking voters for home rule powers also passed last year in Richton Park, Roselle and Glencoe. Those powers allow municipalities to impose different kinds of taxes, issue new debt and go beyond state caps on property tax increases.
