"On November 15th, it's going on the Internet," Pappas says of Second Installment 2021 property tax bill ... Assessor's delay will take 2 years to correct

October 27, 2022 6

The long, long overdue Second Installment 2021 property tax bill appears to have received an estimated issuance date, with 2023 fast approaching.

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas joined the Steve Cochran Show last week where she contextualized and bemoaned the delays, while setting the panel somewhat at ease with the annoucement.

"On November 15th, it's going on the Internet," Pappas said, eliciting applause from Cochran. "You can download your bill online."

The Assessor's Office blamed the delays on difficulties in data sharing between it and the Board of Review after it replaced the aged County assessment mainframe.

"What happened here was the Assessor got to the start line four months late," Pappas said. "Then, everything is late. You can sit and say it's this fault, that fault, the mainframe fault ... it doesn't make any difference. It's four months late. And here's the bottom line: This is going to continue to be four months late."

The delay, Pappas estimated, will take two years or more to fully correct and return to the prior tax bill schedule.

Pappas said the County Board of Commissioners will almost undoubtedly delay the March 1st due date on the First Installment 2022 property tax bill as a result of the tardiness, which she pinned squarely on Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi's Office. Typically due on August 1st, the Second Installment property tax bill, along with the reassessment and appeal process, fell victim to months of ill-explained delays despite the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic being in the rearview.

"It's inexcusable," Cochran said.

The delay has come at considerable cost. Forty-nine of the County's taxing districts endeavored to borrow in order to cover their costs while they await the overdue money. Meanwhile, home and business property sales have slowed precipitously — particularly in the city of Chicago, which saw its Triennial Reassessment in 2021 — as buyers and sellers didn't want an unknown tax burden on a new acquisition.

"Commercial properties are not being sold in this county because people don't know and businesses don't know what the (tax) bills are going to be," Pappas told Cochran. "And in the process, interest has gone up 6 percent, so commercial property in this town (Chicago) is absolutely stymied."

Pappas said owners will be able to pay their bills online the very same day: November 15th.

For Property Tax Solutions friends and clients with property in the city, take a good look at your new bill. It is the first look at what your property's new assessment did to the taxes and, if you did not appeal in 2021, it might be a good idea to file a complaint before the 2022 session is over. The Board of Review has not even opened for 2022 assessment appeals yet and most city Townships have not yet closed for Assessor-level appeals, either.