overpayments limit his property tax backlog

Records from the Cook County treasurer’s office paint a confusing picture of property tax overpayments and delinquencies for Calumet City Mayor and state Rep. Thaddeus Jones. After not paying his last three bills totaling roughly $9,500, Jones said he could apply for refunds that would bring that delinquency down to almost zero.

Jones said Tuesday he planned to pay all of what he owes within the next 30 days.

He said he believes he has adequate overpayments to cover those delinquencies, blaming his bank for the error from past years. Treasurers’ records show consistent overpayments between 2006 and 2022 totaling about $9,240. They also indicate he qualifies for at least $1,330 in refunds due to the overpayments made in the 2020, 2009 and 2007 tax years.

“The overpayments will solve, and that’s what it does, it will solve anything that’s delinquent,” Jones said. “So there’s no issue.”

The treasurer’s office requires an application to receive refunds. However, Jones said he doesn’t plan to apply for them.

If Jones’ bills from the 2022 tax year remain unpaid by Dec. 10, his property would become eligible for the annual tax sale, which puts up for auction properties that are overdue on their property taxes.

Jones has been outspoken about the historically high property taxes for the south suburbs, which were billed in late June and due to Cook County Aug. 1. As an Illinois state representative, he recently committed to proposing legislation to create a special tax designation area for the south suburbs, giving residents who have lived in their homes for at least five years up to $5,000 credit toward their property taxes.

Jones took out a $50,000 mortgage in October that he said was for renovations he made after his house was damaged in a storm in 2018. Overall, he said he stands by his calls for reforming how Cook County assesses properties and decides how much people in the south suburbs should pay.

“The tax system is unfair,” Jones said. “It’s a complicated tax system that creates winners and losers, and right now, there’s a lot of losers in this process, a lot of people who are going to lose their property … So there’s a lot of people who are in my same situation, and there’s a lot of people that are not in my same situation, but I think we need to look at fixing this tax system.”

Jones himself saw an almost 30% jump in his property taxes from last year to this year, owing $7,500 on his property on Paxton Avenue in Calumet City, which most recently assessed at about $153,000, according to the Cook County Treasurer’s website.

The website shows Jones did not pay his last year’s second installment bill, due in December, as well as both bills due this year. Late payments are charged a monthly interest rate of 0.75%, or up to 9% each year. With that accrued interest, he owes a total of $9,482 across three bill cycles.

According to most recent data, about 55,000 properties in Cook County had overdue property taxes from two years before. About half of those properties owed less than $1,000 and only 6% of those properties owed more than $10,000, according to the county treasurer’s office.

Despite Jones’ overpayments and complaints about the tax system, Calumet City Ald. James Patton, who is running for mayor against Jones next year said it’s surprising Jones would be delinquent in his taxes considering he has attacked the county assessor’s office for raising people’s taxes. Patton’s property on Hirsch Avenue does not show any delinquencies.

“I think that the mayor, who sets the budget every year and presents the budget that relies heavily on our property tax share to fund it, should be paying his share of the property taxes,” Patton said.

In Dolton, Mayor Tiffany Henyard was found to be delinquent about $3,000 in taxes on her village home in April, which has since been paid. However, she recently entered delinquency again for failing to pay her $3,500 bill due Aug. 1, according to the county treasurer’s website. Henyard did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Chicago Tribune’s A.D. Quig contributed.