CHICAGO (WLS) — Who is to blame for Chicago homeowners’ skyrocketing property tax bills?

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi says the Cook County Board of Review is, for giving big tax cuts to places like Trump Tower. The Board of Review points the finger right back at Kaegi.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

A 39% cut for Trump Tower, 33% for The Hilton, 32% for a South Michigan Avenue luxury high-rise and 22% for a data center are what Assessor Kaegi says are examples of big reductions for commercial properties by the Cook County Board of Review. Kaegi says the burden is shifted to homeowners.

“Two-thirds of Black and Latino neighborhoods on the South and West Sides would have seen their bills decrease or remain flat, if not for these large commercial cuts,” Kaegi said.

Minnie Terrel’s 2024 first installment property tax bill was $87. The 80-year-old Englewood resident’s second installment shot up to over over $1,900. The total for 2024 is over $2,000.

“I’m a senior, I don’t work and I don’t have the money to pay for it,” Terrell said.

RELATED | Cook County assessor faces angry questions from West Side homeowners over sharp property tax hikes

Terrell and others are likely to get relief through homeowner and senior exemptions that were not included in their bills. Many residents lined up Wednesday at the Cook County assessor’s office to sign up for the exemptions.

Regardless, Kaegi says it does not make up for the reductions given to commercial properties. He says in the 2024 Chicago reassessment, the Board of Review cut values for homes by 1% compared to 17% for commercial properties.

“A rigged system produced reductions that were not deserved for big property owners, and it shifted the burden to the tune of $700 on each and every homeowner in Chicago,” Kaegi said.

SEE ALSO | Cook County Board of Review reopening tax appeals for 24 townships after dramatic bill increases

The Board of Review says commercial properties values were cut because they were over assessed to begin with. In a news conference last week, Commissioner Larry Rogers Jr. says the methodology Kaegi uses to assess all properties has unnecessarily resulted in higher property values for commercial and residential properties. He calls Kaegi the worst assessor he has seen.

“He’s flying the plane while he’s fixing the plane, and that’s the problem,” Rogers Jr. said. “When you do that, you have crashes, you have errors of the type that we’re seeing come out of coming out of his office.”

Time is ticking for the assessors office to help people with their 2024 second installment. Property taxes are due Dec 15. Meanwhile, the Board of Review has reopened the appeals process for 2025 taxes.

Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.