Giant concrete blocks obstruct Harvey businesses; city says owners delinquent on property taxes

HARVEY, Ill. (WLS) -- Harvey businesses say city officials are denying their business licenses and obstructing their storefronts with giant concrete blocks to stop them from operating. The mayor said it's because they're delinquent on property taxes, but business owners say it's not fair.

At the Harvey Auto Center, Benecia Gonzalez is blocked from doing business by cement barricades. They even locked them with a lock and chain.

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The city placed the cement blocks there recently after suspending Gonzalez's business license. According to letters sent to the business, licenses were suspended due to delinquent property taxes which she and others like Michael Kinsch owe to Cook County, not the city of Harvey. The city does use those taxes for city services.

"I was shocked. They came in huge trucks. A giant crane and 20 people," said Kinsch, who is in the same situation at his used car lot Michael Motors. There is also a cease-and-desist order posted on his door.

"And it was such a big production to come and shut us down," Kinsch said.

Municipalities traditionally rely on Cook County's process to send delinquent notices and potentially sell back taxes sells at a tax sale to buyers who can then put a lien on the property.

RELATED: More property owners in suburban Cook County fail to pay property taxes on time: treasurer

But in Harvey, the city is taking action. The businesses denied licenses can pay a $20,000 fine to the city for a one-year license, or they could make monthly payments that would cost up to $30,000 for a year. But that money would not go towards their delinquent property tax bills, only the business license which the city says is usually about $250 a year depending on the size of the business.

The city would not tell the I-Team how many other businesses have been denied licenses, but said that hundreds of commercial properties are several years behind in taxes, owing more than $12 million in county property taxes.

"Because those taxes weren't paid it became difficult to run a city and operate a city," said Mayor Chrostopher Clark.

Clark said the city counts on those county property taxes.

READ MORE: Why is your Cook County property tax bill so high? South, southwest suburbs recently reassessed

"When the businesses don't pay their property taxes the residents have to pay more," he said.

And that's why he said the city recently passed a law which allows them to deny business licenses/ But the law does not say anything about the use of concrete barricades.

"I think it may be the best way at that point in time. we may use a variety of tactics," the mayor said about the tactic.

But does that mean the city is strong arming the businesses?

"You know who's been strong armed? The residents of the city of Harvey because they are losing homes at an enormous rate because taxes have not been paid by these businesses...It gets shifted to the homeowners," Clark said.

MORE COVERAGE Some must pay erroneous Cook County property taxes after bills not corrected before due date

The mayor's office used their own camera to record our interview. We asked if the additional $20,000 cost for a business license would just put these business owners so far behind they can never catch up.

"Once again if they were a good corporate citizen in the first place and did what they were supposed to do, they would have paid their taxes already and if they had paid their taxes, they wouldn't be in this situation," the mayor said.

Gonzalez said she's recently paid a large balance of her late property taxes, but a big bill was left behind when she inherited the shop.

"How are we going to make the money to pay them? How are we going to make the money to even pay our property taxes," she said.

The business owners say they'll never catch up on their taxes if they pay their fines. This is coming at a time when property taxes and assessments have skyrocketed in the south suburbs.

Harvey's mayor said he's unaware of any other suburbs taking this action.