In her July 13 opinion piece, Jennifer Custer encourages those involved in the Chicago Public Schools budget process to behave like adults (“Blame county’s delayed property tax bills for CPS financial woes, not the state”). She might begin by giving a fair account of why property tax bills were delayed last year.
Custer blames late tax bills on “the failures of Assessor Fritz Kaegi to get assessments done on time.” In fact, my office finished assessments on time at the end of 2024.
Custer cites a story from the Tribune that discusses the assessor’s annual transmission of data to the state. Last year, this process was completed by May 28. In 2024, it was completed by May 13. But tax bills last year were five months late — clearly, that delay can’t be explained by a two-week difference in the timeline of data transmission.
A letter I wrote with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon last October, addressed to Treasurer Maria Pappas, summed it up: The data transmission issue “had little to no impact on the work that needed to be done.”
Instead of misstating the facts, Custer has a golden opportunity, along with her colleagues on the Board of Education, to push forward the fight for property tax fairness. They can do this by focusing their efforts on assessment appeals.
Appeals are a leading cause of unfairness in the property tax system because they routinely push more of the tax burden onto homeowners. Taxing districts such as the city and CPS can intervene in these appeals with the goal of preserving fair assessments.
In 2025, commercial appeal reductions shrank the citywide tax base by $8.4 billion. That hurts CPS’ ability to pay into its pension fund — if the tax base were $8.4 billion larger, the pension levy could have brought in $47 million more in annual revenue.
To fight against this issue, the Board of Education can and should call on the city and CPS to intervene as taxing districts.
They would join many suburban school districts, which file hundreds of interventions each year to protect their tax base. Custer is presumably aware of this valuable work from her own professional experience, which has primarily been in DuPage County.
My office has already met with Custer and other members of the Board of Education to inform them of the role they can play through interventions. We stand ready to provide them with the data and resources they need.
— Fritz Kaegi, Cook County assessor
How to help students flourish
A recent editorial is right: Summer jobs can teach young people responsibility, confidence and independence (“Why teens need summer jobs and why we worry they are disappearing,” July 6). But Chicago should aim higher than simply giving teens a shift and a paycheck. Public and private employers should create paid opportunities that also provide mentorship, career exposure and relationships that last beyond the summer.
I know the difference that kind of opportunity can make. I grew up in North Lawndale and am a first-generation college student at Northern Illinois University, studying psychology on a pre-med track. I have completed several summer internships through the LEARN Charter School Network, my elementary school alma mater. My first job taught me how to show up on time and communicate with supervisors. But the biggest impact came from the people I met and the guidance I received.
Through internships, I learned how to introduce myself, ask questions, build a résumé and speak with professionals in fields I am considering. I have explored education, business, government and healthcare. This summer, I am participating in a University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine pathway program, meeting medical students and doctors, volunteering at UI Health and learning more about careers in medicine. Because these opportunities are paid, I can explore my interests while earning money to support my goals.
For students who are the first in their families to pursue college or build professional networks, these experiences are especially important. Talent and ambition are everywhere, but access is not. Mentors can explain how to approach a professor or supervisor, prepare for an interview, ask for feedback and recover from setbacks. Students also learn from one another, sharing advice about workplaces, college and careers.
LEARN’s program offers a model other schools and youth-serving organizations can adapt. The model combines meaningful paid work with professional development, financial literacy workshops, field experiences and ongoing support.
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Chicago’s public sector has an important role in expanding youth employment, and the private sector must step up, too. Businesses, hospitals, universities, nonprofits and civic offices can partner with schools to offer paid internships, job shadowing, site visits and mentors.
Young people are ready to work. We need adults and institutions willing to invest in what comes next.
— Ashley Stevenson, Chicago
Confusion over pedestrian island?
Regarding Sarah Klose’s letter “Making it harder for drivers” (July 8): Klose writes that “on Montrose Avenue at Horner Park, a ride-through traffic island was created for cyclists to cross the street. But the opening in the island creates the illusion of a continuous road (rather than a bike path through Horner Park). If a driver attempts to drive through the opening in the island, they may end up with extensive damage to the front and undercarriage of their car. The city should change this design. Close the island opening and have cyclists dismount and walk through the pedestrian crossing about 4 feet away.”
This is an alarming paragraph to read! The only place to turn (and only left onto Manor) is a clearly marked turn lane, before the pedestrian island. And then there is the pedestrian island. The cut-through is at an angle; a driver can’t turn into it without great effort. From the opposite direction, there is a very large, clear sign telling drivers to go around the pedestrian island.
The only things connected to the pedestrian island are sidewalks. Does this mean that Klose is confused about where she should drive? Are there other Chicago drivers who don’t know not to drive on sidewalks? That’s concerning.
This letter, above all the others about bike lanes, narrates clearly that there are drivers who aren’t paying attention. Cyclists aren’t responsible for nonsense like this.
—Patric King, Chicago
Yes to licensing bicycle owners
Bravo to Louise Rohr’s sensible and commonsense letter suggesting license plates for bicycles (“License plates for bicycles,” July 11). Yes, indeed, if bicycle riders have access to the same busy roads as motorists with their own special lane, then they, too, should be accountable to the same rules of the road.
This is an excellent issue for state lawmakers in all 50 states. And it’s profitable as well.
— JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater, Florida
The point of Illinois’ alcohol tax
I’d like to compliment op-ed writers Adam Hoffer and Jacob Macumber-Rosin on their history and analysis of Illinois’ complicated “flawed system” (“Illinois’ alcohol tax is almost as old as America. It needs reform,” July 5). The whole argument breaks down, however, when they prescribe a fix for the system, specifically by taxing beverages by how much alcohol by volume is actually in them. They even suggest that their program would disincentivize the overconsumption of alcoholic beverages.
What they fail to understand, however, is that taxes are not imposed to disincentivize consumption. They are in place to do exactly one thing: Collect money. Our state and others are always scheming to find new ways to build revenue streams. Witness the recent licensure of marijuana dispensaries: ka-ching. As such, the state has no incentive at all to change the system.
Looked at from the perspective of a politician, the alcohol tax is a smashing success and not in need of any change whatsoever — except additional levies.
— David Umlauf, Deerfield
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