Assessor Kaegi and Community Leaders Call for General Assembly to Pass Senior Property Tax Relief


Assessor Kaegi and Community Leaders Call for General Assembly to Pass Senior Property Tax Relief


Chicago -- Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi, joined Thursday morning by representatives from more than a dozen social service agencies and community organizations, called for the Illinois General Assembly to bring property tax relief to low-income senior homeowners in Cook County during this fall’s veto session.

There are several legislative proposals to expand and automate inclusion in the Low-Income Senior Freeze Homestead Exemption, which is currently available for homeowners older than 65 with an annual household income $65,000 or lower. The Senior Freeze helps save older homeowners a significant amount in property taxes by “freezing” the taxable value of their property.

Legislation in front of the General Assembly to reform the Senior Freeze includes:

  • HB3790 to raise the income threshold above $65,000, expanding the number of senior homeowners eligible to receive the Senior Freeze exemption.
  • SB1750 to allow the Cook County Assessor’s Office to automatically renew the Senior Freeze exemption for those homeowners already enrolled. This would ease a burden for many low-income seniors who may have difficulty renewing the exemption annually.

“What we’ve heard from many homeowners is that cost-of-living adjustments to benefits are pushing them above that $65,000 income threshold and out of eligibility,” said Assessor Kaegi. “We could see tens of thousands of seniors saddled with impossible-to-pay tax bills, putting them at serious risk of losing their homes. For more than 100,000 seniors who receive the exemption, we can automate that renewal process and eliminate an annual chore than can turn into panic when you forget about it.”

The General Assembly will meet next week for the final part of its fall veto session.

“Legislators have the chance to act now and address both the who and how of the Senior Freeze exemptions – who can receive them, and how they can be renewed,” Assessor Kaegi said. “Tell your state representatives to support this legislation next week.”

Homeowners can call or write their representatives in the state legislature to express their support for these reforms to the Senior Freeze exemption.

They can find their local legislators, along with their contact information, at https://www.elections.il.gov/electionoperations/districtlocator/districtofficialsearchbyaddress.aspx.

Attendees at the press conference spoke about the difficulty many of their senior constituents have when it comes to navigating the property tax system.

“The Senior Freeze exemption has provided essential relief, but the requirement to reapply each year creates an unnecessary hardship, especially for older adults with language or mobility barriers,” said Grace Chan McKibben, Executive Director of the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community. “Making the Senior Freeze automatically renewable -- like the Homeowner Exemption, the Senior Exemption and other exemptions – would remove these barriers and bring lasting stability to thousands of seniors not only in Chinatown, but across Cook County.”

“We know that the population of our older adults in Chicago is growing, and that a large number of them are experiencing financial insecurity. A 2019 report from the Chicago Department of Public Health found that almost half of older adults surveyed said they could not pay an unexpected expense of $400 or more,” said Angela Green, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services. “I’m proud to stand here in support of the Senior Freeze, which puts money back into the pockets of older adults.”

“The Resurrection Project is here to support legislation that would increase income eligibility for the Senior Freeze and the auto-renewal to ensure that more elders can stay in their homes and age with dignity. This is not just about fairness. It’s about protecting the community, stabilizing and honoring those that have spent their lives investing in the city,” said Salvador Garcia, Housing Stability Supervisor at the Resurrection Project. “We are urging everyone to pass this meaningful reform to keep our seniors where they belong, which is their home.”

Other speakers at the event included:

Gregary Brown, Northern Illinois Manager for Advocacy and Outreach, AARP Illinois

Jennifer Di Nicola, Manager of Benefits, Information, and Education, AgeOptions

Elizabeth Soto, Superintendent, Veterans Assistance Commission of Cook County 

Teresa Fraga, Pilsen Neighbors Community Council and longtime Pilsen resident

Molly Conley, Executive Director and Laurel Baer, Director of Strategic Initiatives, The Village Chicago

Other organizations represented at the press conference included the Spanish Coalition for Housing, Northwest Housing Center, Chinese American Service League, and the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals – Chicago.

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