When the Cook County Business and Economic Development Committee recommended a new property tax incentive last month to help establish grocery stores in county food deserts, Illinois REALTORS® voiced its support and offered to help.
Illinois REALTORS® Local Governmental Affairs Director Adriann Murawski not only spoke in favor of creating a new category to the property tax incentive program, but she also urged county commissioners to study the program’s overall effectiveness by making the tax incentives more predictable and to explore more ways to keep more homeowners in their homes and to reduce operational costs for commercial real estate owners.
Murawski warned that economic conditions could increase vacant property issues that are plaguing some Cook County municipalities. She noted that property taxes can become burdensome for individuals, families and businesses during tough economic times. In early October, she said, the county treasurer reported a collective $226 million in unpaid property taxes for more than 55,000 properties.
She offered the association’s assistance in finding policy solutions to these problems.
A day after the committee approved an amended county ordinance, the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved it, too.
Access to healthy food
Illinois has 870 low-income and low-access areas where urban residents must travel more than a ½ mile and rural residents must travel more than 10 miles to reach the nearest supermarket, according to 2019 figures provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The county with the highest number of these areas is Cook, with 302.
To address this situation, the Cook County Board – with support from the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association and the Midwest Independent Retailers Association – amended its county ordinance to create a new property tax incentive class, Class 7d, that reduces the property tax assessments of qualifying grocery stores by 10 percent for 10 years. The incentive can be renewed and must get municipal approval via resolution.
Existing grocery stores located in food deserts can benefit from the program if they expand or renovate, while new stores can use renovated buildings or new construction. Other qualifications include sales areas with a majority of space devoted to produce, food and beverage products as well as packaged household items for daily needs; full-service meat, deli and bakery departments; and 55 percent or more employees working full time.
Cook County notes that the elimination of food deserts can increase access to and consumption of healthy food, reduce obesity rates, improve food security, health of residents and the local economy.
