Some Montgomery County residents see 1,400% property tax hike

Residents in Central Illinois are feeling sticker shock from exponential property tax growth. One woman’s $756 property tax bill is skyrocketing to $10,000 in one year.

Residents in Montgomery County are seeing property tax bills go up by as much as 1,400%. One resident’s bill ballooned from $756 to $10,000 in one year.

That property owner, Brandi Lentz, started a Facebook group to for the community to share their stories, frustrations and what they can do about it. A County Board meeting Nov. 20 was standing room only, drawing over 300 residents and spilling into adjoining rooms.

Montgomery County Assessor Kendra Niehaus said the increase stems from a 2007 law signed by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, which is only now being enforced. The $10,000 bill and others aren’t because of mansions, they are because of trees. The law changed the way wooded areas are assessed.

A group of state lawmakers representing parts of Montgomery County have spoken out, saying the County Board needs to step in to rectify the massive hikes.

“There’s counties all over the state that are doing this differently,” said state Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Louisville. “Montgomery County can do the same.”

Illinoisans live with the second-highest property taxes in the nation. The median property tax bill in Montgomery County was $1,745 in the 2022 tax year, up $262 from 2018.

The county has fewer than 30,000 residents and is mostly agricultural. It is about 70 miles northeast of St. Louis on Interstate 55.

State lawmakers have regularly wrung their hands about the property tax burden, forming a state task force that failed to deliver any solutions and passing laws that nipped around the edges of the problem. If they want to get serious about the ever-increasing tax bills homeowners are seeing, they need to finally address the unsustainable cost of public pensions through meaningful constitutional pension reform.

Anything less will leave taxpayers lost in the woods.