The Home Front

(Above) While 87,000 Cook County taxpayers remain stranded by a system-wide software backlog, Tyler Technologies Chairman John Marr celebrates corporate success by ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on February 3, 2026. The Texas firm’s unresolved county tech contract has left an estimated $46 million in local refunds bottlenecked. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) By Don DeBat While tens of thousands of Chicago property owners are reeling from soaring taxes, some

By Don DeBat Chicago and Cook County property owners are beaten, battered and bewildered by soaring real estate taxes. With wallets already flattened, homeowners are bracing for another big cash bite on April 1st, when the first installment of 2025 taxes are due. According to a new study released March 30th by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, real estate taxes in Chicago and the county have grown at double the rate of inflation over the past three decades. As a result, hom

Homeowners in Chicago are reeling from unprecedented property tax increases, leading many to contemplate selling their homes and moving to rental apartments. By Don DeBat Financially squeezed and apparently abandoned by local government, the North Side’s senior fixed-income property owners are wondering if they will have to sell their homes and move to rental apartments or out of state in 2026 to avoid foreclosure and bankruptcy. On November 14, after months of uncertainty an