Report: Illinois property law fails to end redlining impact

By COREY WILLIAMS
Associated Press

A study says that a nearly 80-year-old law intended to put distressed and tax-delinquent Chicago-area properties back to productive use has done little to improve or solve racial inequities in the city’s Black and Latino neighborhoods. A report released Tuesday by the Cook County treasurer’s office proposes scrapping or modifying Illinois’ Scavenger Sale law in favor of tax-cutting and other programs that may allow homeowners of color to accumulate generational wealth. Other recommendations include making lists of available property open to the public, pushing for legislation lowering the interest rate applied by Cook County to delinquent property tax payments and allowing property owners to make partial payments to satisfy tax liens.