I’m sitting in a restaurant across the table from Ron Ernst, an indefatigable community activist from the northwest side. On the table before us are computer printouts showing dozens of parcels of property in the Jefferson Park tax increment financing district.
Which, of course, is why Mayors Daley and Emanuel have loved TIFs almost as much as I love the Bulls.
The city regularly takes underachieving parcels of land out of TIF districts so they don’t bring down the overall haul of taxes. And it does it with the help of the Cook County clerk’s office.
The setup was intended to make it easier to keep track of properties, because our county’s computer system is apparently about as outdated as my flip phone.
None of this is covered by any rules or regulations. It’s sort of like a gentlemen’s agreement. According to the clerk’s office, someone in the city’s planning office calls someone in the clerk’s office and the deed is done. Sort of like a courtesy the clerk provides the mayor.
To his credit, Orr has taken a few steps to shine more light on the TIF program. But he and his aides tell me they feel they have to help the segregation process because the tax code system usually undercounts the amount of money that should go into a TIF account.
