Illinois REALTOR® Chuck Groebe testifies before the Cook County Commission’s Finance Committee on Wednesday, March 14, 2018, about the dangers of passing an ordinance which mandates payment of prevailing wage on projects in certain categories.

Illinois REALTORS® were among more than 70 people who showed up at a meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners’ Finance Committee on Wednesday to voice opposition to a proposed ordinance which could stifle economic development.

Illinois REALTORS® Local Government Affairs Director Beth Wanless testifies before the Cook County Commission.

REALTORS® Chuck Groebe and John Coleman told commissioners that mandating that a prevailing wage be paid to those working on certain incentive classifications of commercial property would make a difference in many cases of whether development projects could move forward.

The committee voted to approve the measure 12 to 4 after more than three hours of testimony. There was one member who voted present. The measure now moves to the full commission.

More than 1,600 Illinois REALTORS® members took part in a Call for Action that was sent out last week.

The Call for Action noted that counties bordering Cook County and Indiana have no such requirements. The fear of REALTORS® and others is that these areas would have an advantage when it came to attracting development because there would be no prevailing wage requirement.

REALTORS® joined with a coalition of dozens of tax attorneys, local mayors and civic leaders in opposition to the proposal.

The measure drew fire not only from REALTORS®, but also from the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board which called the ordinance a “job killer.”  (The Illinois Department of Labor has a full list of prevailing wages by job category.)

In addition to the increased development and maintenance costs, REALTORS® were concerned about costs to keep the records necessary to prove developers were following the law. Additionally, there could be harmful tax implications including a drastic destabilization of the tax base resulting in an increase on real estate taxes on existing businesses and homeowners. That could provide a reason for businesses and residents to leave Cook County.

Illinois REALTORS® government affairs directors are expected to play a prominent role in shaping the final rules. The new policy would go into effect in September if approved by the full commission.