Conservative group will push property tax freeze in suburbs
A national conservative group will make a May push to get state lawmakers to freeze property taxes, targeting suburban Democrats with a series of ads.
Americans for Prosperity has prepared cable TV ads directed at six suburban Democrats to start running next week. Online versions aimed at most other suburban Democrats will come later.
The spots urge backing Gov. Bruce Rauner's plans, part of which is a two-year property tax freeze.
"Call your legislators," the ad's narrator says. "Tell them to support a property tax freeze so you can keep more of your hard-earned money."
Lawmakers face a deadline to make a budget in less than 30 days, and Rauner has pushed them to approve some of his more broad policy goals before he'd talk about any potential new taxes to help keep a spending plan afloat.
State Rep. Michelle Mussman, a Schaumburg Democrat, said she understands when people are frustrated about their taxes. She said a freeze of one factor in property tax bills might not freeze what individual homeowners pay each year and the idea would be part of a complicated state budget debate that's ongoing.
"To say that you can freeze it makes it sound pretty easy," Mussman said.
Mussman and state Reps. Sam Yingling of Grayslake and Deb Conroy of Villa Park will be among the lawmakers Americans for Prosperity first targets, along with state Sens. Tom Cullerton of Villa Park, Dan Kotowski of Park Ridge and Melinda Bush of Grayslake, David From, leader of the group's Illinois arm, said.