Why It Matters
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is pointing to local school districts as a primary driver of the state’s persistently high property taxes, following the release of a report by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas that found property taxes in Cook County have grown at double the rate of inflation over the past three decades. The issue carries significant weight for Illinois residents and businesses, as the state consistently ranks among the highest in the nation for property tax burden.
The report, titled “How State Laws Failed to Stop Decades of Skyrocketing Property Taxes,” also concluded that loopholes embedded in state law have made it easier for local officials to impose property tax increases — placing part of the responsibility at the feet of the Illinois General Assembly.
What Happened
On Monday, March 30, 2026, Governor Pritzker responded publicly to the Pappas report, directing attention toward local school districts as a central cause of rising property tax bills. Pritzker argued that years of state underfunding of K-12 education forced school districts to rely heavily on local property taxes to fill budget gaps — a dynamic he suggested school boards had the ability to address but chose not to.
“They didn’t take the hint,” Pritzker said of school boards, implying that districts continued to levy high property taxes even as conversations around reform gained momentum at the state level.
Pappas’ report painted a stark picture of decades-long property tax growth that has outpaced both inflation and wage gains in Cook County, leaving homeowners and businesses paying significantly more in real terms than they did 30 years ago. The report called on the Illinois General Assembly to act, stating that “the time may be ripe for the General Assembly to finally provide property tax relief to Illinois residents and businesses.”
Pritzker acknowledged the issue requires action from multiple angles, signaling that neither the state government nor local taxing bodies can solve the problem in isolation.
By the Numbers
- Property taxes in Cook County increased at double the rate of inflation over the past 30 years, according to the Pappas report.
- Property tax growth in the county also outpaced wage growth over the same period, reducing households’ real purchasing power.
- School districts account for approximately half of a typical Illinois property tax bill, making them the single largest share of local property tax levies.
- Illinois consistently ranks among the top states in the nation for overall property tax burden on both homeowners and businesses.
- The report examined trends spanning three decades of taxing authority decisions and state legislative inaction on reform.
Zoom Out
Illinois is not alone in grappling with the intersection of school funding and property taxes. Across the country, states that rely heavily on local property taxes to fund public education have faced similar affordability pressures. States including New Jersey, Texas, and New Hampshire — all of which lean heavily on property taxes for school revenue — have seen comparable debates over how to reduce the burden on property owners without cutting school funding.
A number of states have pursued reform by increasing state-level education funding to reduce local school districts’ dependence on property levies, or by instituting caps on annual property tax levy growth. Illinois has attempted various legislative approaches to property tax relief in the past, but a durable statewide solution has remained elusive due in part to the complexity of the state’s more than 6,000 units of local government.
The Pappas report adds institutional weight to an argument that policy advocates and taxpayer groups in Illinois have made for years: that state-level loopholes enabling levy increases must be closed if meaningful relief is to reach residents.
What’s Next
The Pappas report explicitly called on the Illinois General Assembly to take up property tax reform, suggesting the current political environment may offer an opening for legislative action. Pritzker’s public comments signal that the governor views the issue as a priority heading into the spring legislative session.
Lawmakers in Springfield are expected to face pressure from both the governor’s office and county officials to consider measures that could include increased state education funding, tighter limits on local levy growth, or the elimination of specific statutory loopholes identified in the Pappas report.
Whether school districts, municipalities, and the General Assembly can reach consensus on a reform package remains to be seen, but the convergence of the treasurer’s report and the governor’s public statements suggests the property tax debate in Illinois is entering a new phase.