Decatur Residents Deserve a Say in Increasing Taxes.
We are organizing concerned residents to educate their neighbors, improve public policy at the local level, and lessen our tax burden. Are you in?
Decatur's economic burden: By the numbers
That is Macon County's effective property tax rate in 2024, ranking 8th highest in the entire United States and more than double the national average of 0.86%. In a city where the median home value is just $99,600, homeowners are paying an outsized share of their home's value every single year just to stay in their house.
That is the share of city property tax revenue already allocated to police and fire pensions before a single dollar goes to roads, parks, neighborhood programs, or city services. The city raised its levy 6% in 2025 and the largest portions of that increase went directly to pension funds. Decatur residents are paying more and getting less in return every year.
That is Decatur's poverty rate, nearly double the national rate of 12.4%. More than 40% of Macon County residents do not earn enough to cover basic necessities. The city's median household income of $51,592 is nearly $29,000 below the national median. Raising property taxes 6% on a community where 1 in 4 people lives in poverty is a policy choice that deserves serious public scrutiny.
That is how much Decatur's population has dropped since 2019, and projections show a further 0.7% annual decline going forward. Population loss reduces the tax base, which puts more pressure on those who remain to cover the same fixed costs. It is a cycle that high taxes accelerate. Decatur is projected to keep losing residents for the foreseeable future under current conditions.
What's Driving It
Policy Failures
A Pension System That Is Consuming the City Budget
The City of Decatur directs 74.5% of its property tax revenue to police and fire pensions before any money reaches city services. The 2025 levy increase of 6% went primarily to pension funds, raising the police pension allocation from $6.93 million to $7.58 million and the firefighter pension from $5.65 million to $6.24 million. This is not a local mismanagement problem in isolation. It is the direct consequence of Illinois' $211 billion unfunded pension crisis flowing into a mid-sized city that cannot absorb it. Decatur residents pay some of the highest property taxes in the country and receive shrinking services in return because the pension system is consuming the budget faster than the tax base can grow.
Taxing a Struggling Community Past Its Breaking Point
Macon County's 8th-highest-in-the-nation property tax rate exists in a city where 24% of residents live in poverty, more than 40% of households cannot cover basic expenses, and the median home value is just $99,600. A property tax rate of 2.06% on a $99,600 home is a significantly heavier burden than the same rate on a $400,000 home. The city council has consistently chosen to raise taxes rather than restructure spending, despite acknowledging in public meetings that residents are already stretched thin. High taxes on a low-income community accelerate population loss and make it harder to attract the new residents and businesses that could grow the tax base.
Illinois' Structural Decline Is Concentrated in Cities Like Decatur
While Chicago and its suburbs account for 75 to 80% of Illinois' total wages, downstate cities like Decatur have been left to manage fiscal pressures with a fraction of the economic firepower. Illinois has not developed a credible downstate economic development strategy that addresses population loss, workforce decline, and infrastructure decay in its mid-sized cities. Decatur's population has fallen 3.5% since 2019, its median income sits $29,000 below the national median, and its property tax rate ranks among the worst in the country. These are not coincidences. They are the compounding results of state fiscal and economic policies that have never adequately addressed the realities of downstate Illinois.
We Need Leaders Like You
Communities like yours need leaders that are willing to step up to make Illinois more affordable.
Education
Learn how the city council functions, how to speak at community events and to board members directly.
Connection
Connect with a growing network of neighbors who share your concerns and are ready to stand together and demand change.
Action
Get practical tools to participate in school board and other city government meetings, submit public comments, and hold local officials accountable.
Support
Ongoing help from experienced community advocates who've successfully driven change across Decatur and other parts of Illinois
Are You In?
Submit your information and our team will personally reach out to you.
We will never sell your or share your information.