By: Diane Benjamin
This Labor Day celebrate local governments stealing your hard earned dollars.
A home in Bloomington property tax history:
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In 10 years, 2016 to 2025, property taxes increased 47.2%.
The assessed value in 2016 was $75,995, in 2025 it was $119,493. That is an increase of 57.24%.
The left side is taxes paid in 2016. The right is the 2025 taxes. If property taxes are escrowed, current taxes increase the house payment $783 a month, not including homeowners insurance.
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Percentage increases:
District 87 – 49.95
City of Bloomington – 39.48
McLean County – 43.87
Heartland – 54.73
Bloomington library – 64.3
BNWRD – 31.76
Airport – 7.67 (After the law changed to tax the entire county)
Bloomington Township – 15.48
This is the result of citizens NOT voting in local elections. Progressives win while common sense candidates lose. It’s funny units of government without elected officials raise taxes less.
This homeowner fled to a red state. The house sold for a $410,000 when the assessed value was $358,479. I hope their real estate agent told the buyer to expect higher property taxes next year.
The house was bought in 2016 for $288,000. The owner took the 42.36% increase and ran. If you aren’t leaving Illinois, you are taxed on unrealized gains you will never see.
What’s really crazy is the 4 year increase from 2022 to 2025… 40% increase, $2,700 more paid annually, forever. And in 2026, the assessors have already said average home appreciation in McLean County will be 5-7%, which means the property taxes on that home were going up another $600 even before that home’s recent sale.
Property taxes are literally causing the housing affordability crisis. It’s the only factor of housing costs the local politicians can directly control. The supply of new housing built is largely a market/business decision, interest rates are a combination of federal reserve policy and future national growth/inflation expectations, and insurance costs are based on pooled risk of loss.
So local politicians(county, city, school): if you think there is a housing crisis, the only thing you can actually do to help in the near and long term is to LOWER property taxes.
Large scale national studies demonstrate that TIF and taxpayer funded welfare to for profit businesses have a negligible to no impact on local growth, especially when it comes to housing supply. Plus these sweetheart perks are financed by existing homeowners and businesses paying more in property taxes, in order to give the tax breaks to new commercial development (hello Rivian!).
YES!!!!!!
And this raises the cost of housing whether you are a homeowner/buying your home OR if you are renting. These tax increases are baked into your escrow payment OR your monthly rental payment.
EVERYONE is paying more for housing!!!
I just heard from a homeowner who wanted to rent from me, she told me she was going to sell her house and rent because she thought it would be cheaper. (I am encouraging her to try to keep her home!!)
There is literally no escaping these insane tax increases….if you live in Illinois!
JB promised property tax relief when first elected in 2018. Property taxes have risen 50% since then. He oversaw a total 50% raise in state lawmaker’s base salaries from $67k to $101k. Fair share? Affordability? Who is to blame? I say it is the voters in this state. Re-elect JB and if he is still around in 4 years, the tax bill on this example home will exceed $15,000. Guaranteed!
School districts promised relief if voters approved a 1% sales tax hike. They lied.
Because they are Lying Liars
Lived here all my life. Do not have any intention of retiring here. Do not have any intention of buying a home here so that the progressive left can tax me out of my home. Going to Florida. You know what is really funny? I go to visit down there and the amount of people with a retirement pension in Illinois spend their money there. Pretty comical. NO one wants to stay here.
And Unit 5 is facing a budget shortage in 2027.
They fixed the problem with poor academic performance by lowering the grading standards.
How can these people look themselves in the mirror?
Every year is a budget shortage. Let the school closure threats begin.