Kane County Reporter

Thanks to its nearly $700 million in debt and plummeting home values, Aurora has some of the highest effective property tax rates not just all of Chicagoland, but the entire nation.

So ordinarily, one might excuse Rick Guzman for letting his non-profits pay their property taxes, exorbitant as they are, a few months late. Even 19 times.

Mayoral candidate Guzman's non-profit was late paying property taxes six times on this storefront property at 73 S. LaSalle Street in Aurora. | Source: Google Maps

But Guzman isn’t ordinary-- he’s a top city staff member now hoping to become Aurora mayor. And one who is a strong advocate that the city should spend more and build more, perhaps sending Aurora property tax bills even higher still.

Guzman, assistant chief of staff to former mayor Tom Weisner, faces Aurora alderman and attorney Richard Irvin in the Apr. 4 election.

An analysis of Kane County Treasurer’s records by Local Government Information Services (LGIS) found Guzman’s Emannuel House, Tolbert Refugee Assistance Foundation and Bryan House Community Development Foundation have made late payments consistently on their three Aurora properties at 314 Claim St., 73 S. La Salle St. and 679 S. Lake St. across from Copley I Park.

The Claim St. property had seven late payments dating back to 2010. The La Salle and Lake St. properties had six late payments each, dating back to 2012 and 2007, respectively.

Most recently, Guzman’s properties had two late payments last summer; he was three months late paying both the $2,249 first installment on his Lake St. property and a $1,895 bill for Claim St.

A 2015 Chicago Tribune analysis found Aurora effective property tax rates-- or the amount of one’s bill divided by the value of their property-- range from 3.25 (DuPage County/Winfield Township) to 4.50 (Kane County/School District 131).

That means a $200,000 home in District 131 has a $9,000 tax bill; in Indiana, where the average effective property tax rate is 0.88 percent, a bill on a home of the same value would be $1,760.

Property taxes are eroding home values in Aurora.

According to an LGIS analysis of county recorder records, the median sale price in Aurora fell from $227,477 in 2007 to $146,000 in 2015, a drop of 36 percent. If home values continue falling by the same rate, it will fall to $105,120 by 2023.

The average homeowner in District 131 will have paid 98 percent of their home’s value in property taxes over the previous 16 years.

Increased local government spending-- the City of Aurora will spend $419 million this year-- paired with the City of Aurora’s massive public debt load, is to blame for bigger property tax bills.

According to the Illinois State Comptroller, Aurora owes $693.4 million in debt, or $10,307 per Aurora household.

Late Payments by Rick Guzman's Non-Profits

Non-profits controlled by Aurora Mayoral candidate made 19 late property tax payments since 2007.

Tax Year	Installment	Address	Tax Amount
2015	First	73 S. LaSalle St.	$1,861.41
2015	First	679 S. Lake St.	$2,152.11
2015	First	315 Claim St.	$1,895.22
2014	First	73 S. LaSalle St.	$2,259.02
2014	First	679 S. Lake St.	$2,330.17
2014	First	315 Claim St.	$1,975.38
2013	Second	73 S. LaSalle St.	$1,936.36
2013	First	73 S. LaSalle St.	$1,936.36
2013	First	679 S. Lake St.	$2,224.61
2013	Second	315 Claim St.	$1,954.02
2013	First	315 Claim St.	$1,954.02
2012	Second	73 S. LaSalle St.	$2,296.76
2012	First	73 S. LaSalle St.	$2,296.76
2012	Second	679 S. Lake St.	$2,197.21
2012	First	679 S. Lake St.	$2,197.21
2012	Second	315 Claim St.	$1,958.79
2012	First	315 Claim St.	$1,958.79
2010	First	315 Claim St.	$2,102.99
2009	Second	679 S. Lake St.	$1,886.10

Source: Kane County Recorder, Treasurer