Second-Installment Property Tax Bills to be Mailed on Time


Posted: 6/7/2012
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Cook County elected officials announced Wednesday that 1.8 million second-installment property tax bills are expected to be mailed on time this year for the first time since 1977 - a move that will save municipalities and school districts millions of dollars.

Staff from county agencies met months ago to develop an accelerated schedule to restore timeliness and when tax bills are mailed this July, it will be the result of cooperation among the various county agencies.

The second-installment tax bill process involves several government agencies. The Assessor's Office, the Board of Review, the Illinois Department of Revenue and the Clerk's Office all must complete their parts in the process before the Treasurer's Office can mail the bills.   

Late bills have historically proven problematic for many taxing bodies that rely on pr

  

operty taxes for funding, said Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios, whose office contributed to the timely mailing by completing the 2011 assessment sooner than any other assessment since the early 1980's.

Late tax bills have also meant that taxpayers have had to budget for two tax bills being mailed and due so close together.  The timely mailing of tax bills will help ensure that taxpayers have adequate time to budget and save for both installments.
After the Cook County Board of Review received the 2011 certified assessment from Berrios' office, they reviewed the assessment appeals submitted to their agency and completed their work early, also contributing to the timely bills.


Once the assessments are finalized, Cook County Clerk David Orr's office calculates tax rates based on the tax levies submitted by taxing districts. Orr said that the timely mailing will potentially save local taxing districts an unprecedented amount of money.                                            

Once the whole process is complete, the Treasurer's Office mails out the tax bills.

 All county officials stressed that the return to the regular mailing schedule will not only have a positive impact on the numerous taxing agencies that rely on property taxes for funding, but that it will ultimately help every Cook County taxpayer.

Pappas noted that this would be the first county bill that would be part of an effort to give taxpayers information about where their payments go. Taxpayers can enter their Property Index Numbers on the county's portal at www.cookcountypropertyinfo.com or the treasurer's website at www.cookcountytreasurer.com to see how much each of the 12 to 20 taxing agencies listed on second-installment bills receives from their payments, along with comprehensive debt and other financial information on each taxing agency.