13-May-19 – In a bold move, Fritz Kaegi recently went to bat for the little guys – the two-flat, three-flat, and four-flat owners across the city’s 77 neighborhoods.

Kaegi urged the Illinois Legislature to pass a bill that would require large commercial property owners – those fat cats who developed, own, and manage tens of thousands of units in brand-new apartment towers and thousands of square feet of space in office skyscrapers downtown – to disclose income and expenses.

The assessor was hoping to use the information to calculate more accurate property tax assessments, which are largely based on the level of income an apartment or office building generates. (Left) Apartment building in Old Town.

Although the measure passed the Illinois Senate in April, unfortunately the bill was torpedoed by lobbyists representing wealthy real estate interests, and some trade unions who benefit from the downtown construction and development business.

The bill was scheduled for an Illinois House committee hearing last week but mysteriously was pulled from the agenda by Michael Madigan, the powerful Speaker of the House.

Ironically, Madigan also owns a property tax appeals law firm. Obviously, some of his wealthy clients likely would feel a financial pinch if the progressive Kaegi reform bill passed.

The Kaegi bill would require owners of big commercial properties each year to submit to the Cook County Assessor’s office certain data, including federal tax returns, rent rolls, and expenses for the prior year. “Imagine if you were the Internal Revenue Service and you calculated people’s taxes based on a guess of what their income was,” said Kaegi (right).

Under the Kaegi plan, owners of small apartments worth less than $400,000, rental properties with six or fewer units, and residential rental buildings with seven or more units worth less than $1 million would be exempt from the new law if it passes the Illinois House.

After taking office, apparently Kaegi learned that former Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios’ crew used creative “multiple regression” computer models to assess many downtown commercial properties. Berrios bragged in press releases that he was “refining assessments” and completed his work on time for eight straight years.

Unfortunately, under this system big commercial properties were undervalued and some of the real estate tax burden was unfairly shifted to bungalow owners, small apartments, and small commercial properties, according to a Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois investigation.

The Kaegi reform pledges to publish formulas used to calculate residential assessments and use new calculations to assess big commercial properties.

2018 assessments tough on the little guys

Meanwhile, small apartment building owners in the city are still trying to digest the whopping 2018 property tax assessments handed out as a parting shot by Berrios.

In 2018, the entire City of Chicago was reassessed and a spot survey by The Home Front column found assessment increases of 40 to 112 percent on a group of small North Side and Northwest Side apartment buildings.

The rental apartment market is tough on the little guys who own small buildings and don’t have a rooftop swimming pool, fancy workout salon, and doorman, landlords say. (Left) Apartment building in North Lincoln Square.

Often the rent is lower for a walk-up and the privacy can be a bonus, especially if there is a nice deck with a barbeque and garden out back.

However, the small apartment owner still must be competitive when it comes to amenities that upscale renters expect, such as a fireplace, granite and stainless-steel kitchen, in-unit washer/dryer, and good security.

Here are some examples of upgrades made and vacancy issues dealt with recently by four North Side landlords who are trying to keep up with the downtown high-rise apartment competition...

The Kaegi bill is opposed in the Illinois Legislature by the Building Managers Association of Chicago, Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, and Chicagoland Apartment Association.

Other opponents include some trade unions that have strong alliances with the office and apartment construction industry, and the Civic Federation, a budget watchdog group backed by corporate interests.