Comparison of Taxes Paid
McCotter's Neighborhood vs Ours

We did this analysis foreseeing that someone would claim that the people who live on McCotter's street pay more in taxes so they should get better service. This rationale is incorrect, for all the people should get the same service, regardless of taxes paid.

For those that want to claim that tax bills reflect building structure, how many bathrooms, etc. then it should be noted that most of the homes in our area are older structures (oldest is approximately 130 years old at the time of this writing).  As such, the property taxes should be far less for these vintage structures.  This is reflected in the hocus pocus number called the Estimated Market Value, as seen in the Cook County Assessor's information.  Click on any link in the Property Index Number to find that information.  It should be noted that in McCotter's area, the Estimated Market Value is a great deal higher than our neighborhood.  Note:  the Cook County Assessor's Office has changed the method for looking at the information so that the link to the Property Index Number (PIN) does not work.

If one takes the perspective that we're essentially comparing apples with apples, then the comparison shows that McCotter's neighborhood pays 2 cents more per square foot, irrespective of structure.  Yet, if you have had the chance to browse over the photos of the park, you'll see a tremendous disparity.  We recommend taking a drive in our neighborhood and physically see how the city has neglected us.  Furthermore, the Estimated Market Value is far greater than that of the buildings in our area.  This translates into over taxation in our community.  In other words, our houses are worth less but we are paying almost the same as the higher valued homes in McCotter's community.

Not only are the residents in our community neglected in terms of infrastructure and "cosmetics" but city services as well.  The 25th District under the direction of Commander McCotter of the Chicago Police Department, have been negligent in providing safe neighborhoods for more than three decades.

McCotter's Neighborhood

Our Neighborhood

McCotter's neighborhood pays $.31 per square ft.  Our community pays $.29 per square ft.  However, Estimated Property Values are a lot higher in McCotter's area than in ours.  Thus, we are being over-taxed and underserved.