City Council is set to discuss the “Property Tax Circuit Breaker Pilot Program,” which aims to provide tax relief for eligible long-term homeowners, at its Monday meeting.

The one-year pilot program, proposed by Ald. Clare Kelly (1st), would use $500,000 from the Affordable Housing Fund to provide qualifying residents with credit equal to 20% of their property bill after exemptions up to a maximum of $5,000. The program’s renewal would be subject to Council approval.

“This is about the people who are the fabric of this community, the people who have been here for generations,” Kelly said during a March Council meeting. “It’s about stopping that bleeding, so they can remain in their homes.”

In order to qualify for the program, residents must have owned an Evanston property for at least 15 years, face property taxes greater than, or equal to, 10% of their household income, have a household income at or below the median, and own a house that is no bigger than 1,800 square feet.

The proposal comes as Evanston residents face an increasing property tax burden. The city’s total property tax bill increased by 2.75% from 2024 to 2025, and a new report from the Cook County Treasurer’s Office said property tax hikes are outpacing inflation.

Some critics say the program largely benefits older residents and excludes younger homeowners and renters. According to the Evanston Housing Gap Analysis, released in September, 48% of renters in Evanston are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent. However, the program does not apply to renters. 

Still, some supporters argue the program can support communities of color disproportionally impacted by property taxation, especially amid an outflow of Black residents from Evanston. 

Brakeyshia Samms, senior analyst at the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy, said research finds that Black households pay more in taxes than white households with comparable property — a disparity circuit breakers can help remedy.

“Typically, when you see higher property tax bills, they disproportionately impact communities of color,” Samms said. “Circuit breakers can help communities of color afford their property taxes.”

In a letter to City Council, Samms wrote that circuit breakers can offer a solution to Evanston’s affordability challenges, specifically for residents of color and low-income families.

The eligibility parameters in Kelly’s proposal are intended to keep the program cost-efficient and to help as many people as possible, Samms said.

“It’s an important policy for councilmembers to really consider,” Samms said. “It’s exciting to see that they’re taking it under consideration because a lot of property tax programs really do fall short.”

Hal Dardick, the director of research affairs at the Cook County Treasurer’s Office, recently completed a six-month study of inequities in the tax system. The study details multiple solutions to address high taxes, including circuit breakers. 

Dardick said some may critique the circuit breaker program because circuit breakers can act as a mere Band-Aid for the tax inequities.

“It could ease the burden on folks who are struggling to pay their taxes,” Dardick said. “I do think a lot of folks would say circuit breakers are good to a point, but they don’t want to address the underlying problem.”

SESP first-year Amaad Garrett worked with Kelly on drafting the proposal. He said they set eligibility criteria based on similar programs in Washington D.C., New Jersey and Massachusetts, which operate with similar budgets. 

Garrett added that the 15-year minimum homeowning requirement was set because it seemed to advance the goal of helping long-term residents who are in danger of displacement. 

“The goal of the circuit breaker is to target long-term residents, or people who we feel like are disproportionately affected by the tax burden, people who are the roots and are responsible for creating or sustaining the culture,” he said.

Garrett said he hopes that councilmembers will put their personal interests aside at Monday’s meeting and make progress in advancing the program.

So far, he said the proposal of the circuit breaker program has been the only substantial move toward addressing an affordability issue that residents have continuously brought up.

“There hasn’t been any progress or initiatives to mitigate or address this issue that’s been ongoing,” Garrett said. “I don’t think they should kill the circuit breaker. But, if anything, they should look for other solutions that we can all collectively agree on.”

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