Lawsuit alleges Cook Assessor Berrios shifts property taxes to poor

The Brighton Park Neighborhood Council and the Logan Square Neighborhood Association filed a lawsuit Thursday against Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, alleging that his office "systematically and illegally" shifts residential property tax burdens to minority and low-income homeowners.

The lawsuit comes after months of allegations against the assessor for undervaluing homes in majority-white and majority high-income neighborhoods.

Homes in minority and low-income neighborhoods were overvalued to make up for the disparity, the lawsuit alleges.

"It is fundamentally unfair that families in this community are required to pay artificially inflated taxes for their homes and bear a disproportionate share of the tax burden in Cook County," Patrick Brosnan, of Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, said in a statement.

A joint series by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois in June investigated that methodology and found it to be "riddled with errors." Berrios refuted the claims and said taxpayers could appeal.

The assessor's office stands by its property assessments but could not comment further due to the pending litigation.

Berrios' campaign manager, Mario Lopez, called the lawsuit "politically motivated."

• This report was produced in partnership with the Chicago Sun-Times. See more at chicago.suntimes.com.