Suburban mayors oppose property tax breaks for homeowners near O'Hare

Nine suburban mayors and one township supervisor have called upon state Rep. Marty Moylan to withdraw legislation that would give property tax breaks to homeowners affected by noise from O'Hare International Airport, saying it would lower property values and shift the tax burden to other homeowners.

The legislation, introduced by the Des Plaines Democrat earlier this month, would allow those “negatively affected” by aircraft noise from O'Hare to receive a general homestead exemption double in amount. Such property would have to routinely experience aircraft noise of 65 decibels or more, and that noise would have to be directly attributable to flight patterns at O'Hare, according to the legislation.

The county assessor would be charged with determining if a property is eligible for the property tax break by “application, visual inspection, questionnaire, or other reasonable methods,” the bill states.

Several members of the Suburban O'Hare Commission late last week signed onto a letter expressing opposition to the legislation, saying it would create “redline” districts throughout the suburbs in which homeowners within the boundaries would get a small annual property tax savings but at the same time suffer a greater reduction in their property values.

Homeowners could save an average of $675 each year but lose 10 percent to 30 percent of property value, according to the letter, citing studies on the topic.

The mayors also argue that local taxing bodies might be forced to raise taxes to cover the shortfall in revenue created by the tax breaks — and other property owners would be forced to make up the difference.

Moylan said Tuesday that property values of homes near O'Hare have already dropped because of noise. He accused the authors of the letter of collectively raising taxes on residents.

The letter was signed by the mayors of Addison, Bensenville, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Itasca, Roselle, Schaumburg, Schiller Park and Wood Dale and the supervisor of Elk Grove Township.

“I've knocked on thousands of doors. Residents are looking for relief from O'Hare noise,” Moylan said. “They got it backwards. It's not going to create a (redline) district. These areas are already defined by the O'Hare noise contour. Property values are already declining. This bill offers some relief.”

Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson, chairman of the Suburban O'Hare Commission, said he appreciates Moylan's concern with the impact of O'Hare noise on residents, but he thinks there are better proposals to address the problem. Johnson, a longtime critic of O'Hare expansion, says he's upset Moylan didn't consult him before proposing the legislation.

“He knows my expertise. I would've hoped he would've called me first. No one has been involved as deeply as me. I would've told him other ideas to work with him on,” Johnson said. “I hope he's doing it for the right reason.”

Mel Thillens, Moylan's Republican opponent in this November's 55th state House District race, called the proposal a “tax scheme” that would raise property taxes of most people in the district.

The district includes a number of towns near O'Hare, including Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Park Ridge and Rosemont.