Darryl Lloyd said the current market value of his modest three-bedroom 1950s Chicago Heights home is a little over $180,000. He also said he purchased the home for $115,000 in 2006 and paid a $1,800 property tax bill last year, FOX 32 Chicago reported.
But Lloyd said he recently became “devastated” when the property tax bill for that same home astronomically rose to over $30,000 after it was assessed at over $1 million. It later turned out it was a mistake – though the Cook County Tax Assessor’s office initially told him that “everybody’s taxes increase.”
The Assessor’s Office ultimately had a change of tone after the news outlet contacted them about the astronomical 3,811 percent increase. “I was literally devastated when I saw that increase,” Lloyd said. “I see 960 square feet. I don’t have a second floor. I don’t have a basement.”
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Lloyd, who is a diesel mechanic and safety inspector, also said nothing in his home is “worth … $1 million.” “I will have to move in with a relative or something. You know, I can’t afford it,” he added.
Lloyd’s case, however, is not peculiar, as the Cook County Treasurer’s Office admitted other homeowners have had similar experiences. Per FOX 32 Chicago, an analysis determined that the land values of over 4,400 homes in the south and southwest suburbs had been wrongly calculated by the Assessor’s Office. This ultimately resulted in homes on bigger land plots being seriously overassessed. But the miscalculated tax bills were printed and mailed before officials became aware of those mistakes.
Lloyd had also initially gone to the Cook County Tax Assessor’s Office to try and rectify the issue. But it appeared he did not get a favorable response.
“I said, let me go downtown city Hall, to the assessor’s office. And, at that point, I showed them my taxes, and I told them that I had a substantial increase, and they were like, everybody’s taxes increase,” he said.
FOX 32 Chicago ultimately got in touch with the Assessor’s Office to ask about Llyod’s case after he reached out to the news outlet. And that was when the office admitted the astronomical increase was due to a mistake.
“This property was given an incorrect assessment due to a permit that was unintentionally applied to the property. We will process a corrected tax bill for this property in the coming weeks, ensuring that the homeowner will ultimately pay the right amount in property taxes,” an office representative said.
“If it happened to me, it probably happened to other people. I’d like to see immediate action,” Lloyd said.
Lloyd was yet to receive a mailed certificate of error from the Assessor’s Office at the time of this report.
