McLean County Times

Illinois state Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) is among the growing number of lawmakers keeping a close eye on the newly formed Property Tax Relief Task Force.

The bipartisan group is slated to consist of lawmakers appointed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the state’s four legislative leaders.

With SmartAsset.com already branding Illinois home to the second highest property taxes in the country at nearly double the national average, state Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) will also be keeping close watch, though the first-term lawmaker readily admits he doesn’t expect to see much materialize from the exercise.

“Personally, I think it’s just window-dressing,” Caulkins told the McClean Couny Times. “I’m sure that the people involved are sincere in trying to find a working solution but the obvious solution is always the easiest one. We need pension reform in Illinois and I don’t think that this group will come forward with a plan for that.”

Caulkins said addressing the elephant in the room as it relates to the state’s biggest debt driver is nothing new for Republicans.

“We’ve been calling for property tax relief for years,” he said. “Democrats have resisted for years and now that local property taxes have become a political issue all of sudden we see Democrats wanting to have some type of advisory group.”

Among the group’s stated priorities are identifying the causes of rising property tax rates across the state. To that end, members will be charged with reviewing policy strategies known to have worked across the country and making recommendations about how they might best serve in Illinois. An initial report is due within 90 days, and the task force will submit a final report by Dec. 31.

While hoping for the best, Caulkins admits he doesn’t expect much.

“I doubt seriously that this tax force will come forward with a recommendation that we reform our pensions from the way they’re structured and paid for,” he said. "The biggest driver of property taxes are pensions and until we address the problem in a straight-forward bipartisan way you’re never going to get enough relief to matter.”