North Cook News

Katie Miller is a nurse and knows how to diagnose a sick subject. The state of Illinois, for example.

Miller, a nurse at Northwest Community Hospital who lives in Mount Prospect with her husband and their three children, said the state appears to be in distress. The failure of the Illinois Legislature to address property tax reform during the 2020 session is a symptom of the malady, Miller said.

The legislature adjourned early Sunday without looking at serious reform efforts, merely granting a 120-day extension for property tax owners without fear of interest or penalties. It also extended the extension for the elderly and disabled people.

Property tax reform was the subject of extensive study of an 88-member task force created in August, but its draft report was rejected by Illinois Republicans, who said it offered no new ideas or real change.

“It is unfortunate but typical for our do-nothing state of Illinois,” Miller said. “We need to have real property tax reform to save people’s homes. The tax-and-spend culture in Illinois needs to change.”

She said a serious examination of priorities is needed and is what most Illinois residents want.

Miller tried to do something about it, running for District 53 state representative in 2018 and losing to Eddie Corrigan in the Republican primary.

She is a member of the Elk Grove Township Republican group, follows state politics closely and has ideas on how to return Illinois to good health.

“We need to look at spending which includes pension reform,” Miller said. “Until we get spending under control we will never get a balance budget. We can not tax our way out of this.”

Although the legislature did not work on property tax reform, it did pass a $40 billion budget and work on a few other bills during a four-day special session. One that made it through the process this year really made Miller sick.

“I find it disgusting that they did have time to vote themselves raises. It shows where their priorities are,” she said. “They are not with the taxpayers in Illinois. We will have more and more people move out of Illinois.”

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said although legislators voted to give themselves a 3 percent raise, or about $1,800 annually, there is no money available for it.

The very idea still offends many and Miller said there is a good reason people are voting with their feet.

“It is very sad that our elected officials do not address property tax reform," she said. "Our property taxes are highest or second-highest in the country. It is one of the factors that is driving people to move out of state. People can not afford to live here in Illinois. Property values will fall soon if nothing is done.”