Cook County leaders say spring property tax bills, revenues will go out on time

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Treasurer Maria Pappas promised Tuesday that homeowners and other property owners will receive tax bills on time this spring, and that property tax revenues will go out to local governments when they are supposed to.

The head of the county board and the official tasked with sending out tax bills made the announcement in a news release hours before Preckwinkle was set to face Democratic primary opponent Ald. Brendan Reilly in their first televised debate, where Reilly was sure to continue trying to use the county’s recent tax mess as a cudgel to criticize Preckwinkle’s leadership.

Second installment bills were months late last year. On top if it, the revenues collected from those bills took extra weeks to hit the bank accounts of the county’s thousands of taxing bodies. That cash crunch cost schools millions in lost investments and borrowing costs, officials estimated, and damaged local leaders’ trust in Pappas and Preckwinkle.

Their joint news release said “first installment” bills will be mailed out this year on March 2 and will be due April 1. Property owners will be able to start paying their bills as soon as Feb. 20 on the Treasurer’s website, according to the release.

The two pledged more certainty for those those local government agencies, offering assurances that the 2000 local agencies across the county will get their money within 30 days of bill payment.

Last year’s delay stemmed from the decade-long property tax system upgrade with Tyler Technologies, a project that has taken years longer and cost more than early projections. County taxpayers have had to shoulder tens of millions in ancillary costs for consultants and to keep older computer systems running while the upgrade continues.

This spring’s due date is a month later than usual. County leaders asked the state to give taxpayers a reprieve after the last bills, which were due December 15. Those who can’t afford the upcoming bills can pay in installments to cut down on interest costs for late payment.

The first installment bill is 55% of last year’s amount.

“No one ever looks forward to receiving a tax bill, but timely billing reflects responsible government,” their joint statement said.