McHenry Times

In the dusk of the legislative session, state Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-St. Charles) wants his colleagues to remember how current property tax rates are breaking the backs of Illinoisans. 

In a video from the Illinois House GOP May 7, Ugaste notched property tax as one of the top issues for his constituents. 

"I have gone to doors during three election cycles dating back to 2014," Ugaste said. "Every time they’re talking about property taxes. This isn’t new. This is something we have heard before, and we keep failing to address it, and yet the cost of living in Illinois keeps rising on homeowners."

Some Illinois residents have decided that the high taxes are too much to bear; the state is losing population numbers in droves, and Ugaste has blamed property taxes for the population plummets in the past. 

"Property taxes are among the reason that people are leaving the state. They’re just too high," Ugaste continued at the May conference. "Right along with ethics and pensions, this is one of the biggest issues we have to address, and it needs to be a top priority in the state."

According to Ugaste, Gov. J.B. Pritzker is on record as saying in 2019 that he is committed to working with legislators from both parties to instill a task force that will discuss how property taxes will be reduced. 

"This property relief task force was created, on which I sat and spent a number of hours of my time trying to do something to help the people in my district as well as the rest of the state," Ugaste said. "It amounted to absolutely nothing; not one bill has been called to the floor, not one bill has passed."

Two years have passed since Pritzker promised that something would give in the back-breaking property tax, but Ugaste said that, disappointingly, nothing has changed, and Illinoisans are still being crushed with the government's bill for their homes. 

Ugaste isn't the only lawmaker concerned about the impacts that the property tax rates will continue to have on constituents. According to earlier North Cook News reporting, Rep. Tom Morrison also called on the legislature to start working on real solutions for taxpayers.

"After a year like we’ve had, with businesses being shut down and the COVID-19 pandemic and what it's done to our economy, residents and business owners are just doing what they can to stay afloat," Ugaste said. "We’ve done nothing for property taxes, and yet they desperately need relief."