The Renaissance Letter: A zero percent tax hike for Harvey residents?

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Pocketbook issues, Council reactions to an arrest during a public meeting, and library layoffs. Here are the top five things you need to know for the week of July 8.

5. Harvey Police Department didn’t report some traffic stops to state for 2023 year

Harvey law enforcement reported some, but not all, of its traffic stops in 2023 to the Illinois Department of Transportation, according to IDOT’s report. Since 2003, the state has required police agencies to report their traffic stop data in an effort to identify and curb racial profiling. Harvey law enforcement didn’t report any of its traffic stops in 2021 or 2022.

4.  Staff layoffs begin at Harvey Public Library District

Harvey’s library has quietly began laying off staffers. This comes as questions emerge over accuracy of meeting minutes, concerns over the library’s financial stability and transparency, and packets sent to trustees only minutes before meetings begin. (This information is developing.)

3. City Council approves $660,000 police settlement over wrongful raid and new police tech

The City Council approved a $660,000 police settlement agreement at the June 24 regular meeting for two residents claiming officers raided their home without a search warrant in 2016. Eric Boatman and his mother Carol Jarvis also claimed officers used excessive force against Boatman. The case was filed in 2018. The funds will be paid out in quarterly installments through March 2027.

The Council also approved a contract with CDW-G to install camera and related technology for a forthcoming real-time crime center located on 154th St., directly across the street from a police substation. The cost is roughly $315,000.

The mayor and alders also condemned recent audience behavior after police arrested a man during the June 13 meeting.

2. South suburbs see largest property tax increases in 30 years, report shows

Fifteen south suburban communities, including Harvey, face property tax increases of more than 30 percent for the most recent tax year. Most of those communities are largely Black. In nearby Dixmoor and Phoenix, median tax bills more than doubled, according to a report from the Cook County Treasurer’s Office, which analyzed tax bills. In Harvey, total taxes jumped by 35 percent, according to the study.

After the Cook County Assessor’s Office revalued properties across the south suburbs, residential values increased while commercial properties decreased. Nearly 74 percent of homeowners will owe more than taxes while 70 percent of commercial property owners will pay less. In previous years, some residential homeowners paid zero dollars in taxes. That’ll change as reassessments pushed home values past their tax exemptions. [Read the county’s study here]

1. A zero percent property tax hike proposal from the mayor’s office

Mayor Chris Clark committed the city to a zero percent tax hike for the 2025 fiscal year and beyond, with the exception being those to fund “court orders or any settlements,” he announced at a press conference last Tuesday. The announcement comes after the Cook County Treasurer’s Office released its yearly report, documenting high property tax increases for south suburban communities.

“Government doesn’t come first,” but rather the community does, he said. The “Hold the Tax” initiative will need Council approval, with budget season around the corner. Alderman Tyrone Rogers (6th) flanked the mayor and his staffers at the presser. Clark also called on other south suburban taxing bodies to follow suit. Should they agree to commit to a zero percent hike, Harvey will update the initiative’s new “Hold the Tax” website to reflect it. 

Clark also doubled down on new fines assessed to businesses located at tax-delinquent commercial properties, even if they rent them. [Listen to the full press conference audio here]