Ryan Law Attorney, Leah Kovtunenko, Publishes Article on Assessing the Impact of Cook County’s Property Tax Incentive Programs

December 16, 2025


In a new study¹ commissioned by the Cook County Tax Reform Group and conducted by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) and the University of Illinois’ (UIC) Government Finance Center, the property tax incentive program requires transformation and reorganization to effectively support the economic growth of the region inclusive of more than 90 municipalities. 

The full report identifies the reservations developers confront by traversing the incentive process, and unless renewed by the Cook County Board of Commissioners, the provisions that enable and govern Class 6b, C, 7a, 7b, and 8 incentives are set to expire December 31, 2027. 

The study found that these incentives successfully eliminated $7.58 billion (11%) of business property value from taxation in 2022 alone. However, it was also discovered that the administration of the incentive program conflicts amongst jurisdictions, specifically in application requirements and review procedures. Further, the program is challenging to pilot causing volatile approval timelines resulting in inequitable access to these coveted tax breaks.

Despite the challenges of the incentive program, the study outlined five improvements to promote transparency and streamline its effectiveness.

  • Administration reorganization to remove inconsistencies across municipalities
  • Restoring and articulating the Class 8 incentive
  • Changing the incentive classification program into a tiered system with awards and reviews supported by a negotiated agreement
  • Producing a consistent and standardized environment for developers
  • Modernizing customer service by potentially providing an online system with application tracking capabilities

“This study provides the County with a clear set of insights into how incentive tools can better support investment and economic growth,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. Moving forward, county bureaucrats have the heavy burden yet fruitful opportunity to make substantial enhancements to the system and administration of the incentive program.

¹Opportunities to Revamp Cook County’s Incentive Classifications