Outside Chicago, only a fourth of municipal property taxes collected this year for police and fire are going to services.
By LyLena Estabine | Illinois Policy Institute
The vast majority of the police and fire levies in last year’s Cook County property tax bills funded pensions, not protection.
The 2024 police and fire levies for cities outside Chicago total $599 million. Just over $450 million of that is for pensions, according to the Illinois Department of Revenue.
First-installment bills are due April 1. Many in the county may still be recovering from the delayed property tax bills that were due Dec. 15. Some of those bills grew by record-setting amounts.
Since 1996, the amount Cook County municipalities outside Chicago have levied to keep up with police and fire pensions has grown by 416%, while the amount levied for services hasn’t even doubled.
The amount going to fund protection increased by about $2 million in 2024 levies over 2023. The amount for pensions rose $27 million.
Police and firemen deserve generous pensions given the risk in their work. But when those benefits become too generous — as they are in Illinois — they undermine retirement security and reduce the amount of money available for service.
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