County assessor says printing error sent incorrect valuation notices; reprints and outreach planned

Supervisor of Assessments Mr. Jorsak told the McLean County Finance Committee on Sept. 3 that a printing error produced incorrect information on assessed valuation notices mailed to residents in 17 townships and that corrected postcards are being reprinted and mailed next week. He said the county will not republish the notices in local newspapers to reset the statutory complaint deadline, which remains Sept. 29.

The error, Mr. Jorsak said, resulted from the vendor printing duplex postcards with the inside and outside pages misaligned so “the notices came out with bad information on the inside that didn't match the information on the outside.” He said he contacted Chair Johnston and Administrator Taylor as soon as he learned of the problem and that the vendor, whose owner Mr. Cochran provided a written acknowledgment, accepted responsibility.

Why it matters: assessed valuation notices set the statutory timeline for property tax complaint filings. Mr. Jorsak told the committee that republishing the notices to reset the statutory filing deadline would require republication across multiple county newspapers and would cost “over $5,000” and delay the timetable by at least two weeks. For that reason, and after consulting staff and leadership, he said the county would keep the existing complaint deadline of Sept. 29.

What the county is doing: Mr. Jorsak said corrected postcards are being reprinted and proofs (including video of physical cards showing both sides) were reviewed. He told residents the county’s online assessment data has been correct and available, and urged anyone uncertain about their notice to file a complaint now rather than wait. The county scheduled additional public information sessions: a session in Cooksville on Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. (Cooksville Fire Station), a session in Leroy at the Living Well United Center (tomorrow from the meeting date) at 6 p.m., and a session in Lexington on Sept. 8 at 6 p.m.; he said another live-streamed session will be scheduled once the City of Bloomington’s books are received.

Mr. Jorsak declined to focus on assigning blame, saying, “at the end of the day, it's my name that's on that postcard regardless of what happened. I'm the one who's responsible for it.” The vendor’s owner, Mr. Cochran, provided a statement the assessor read to the committee: “I recognize the misstep is very unfortunate and want to assure you it is being taken very seriously by both myself as an owner and our entire leadership team. I can assure you there will be no financial impact to McLean County taxpayers.”

Officials said the county will use social media and the news media to publicize corrected notices and the extra sessions and thanked staff (Dan Leary was singled out) for helping distribute information. The committee did not vote on any formal action related to the notices during the meeting.

Ending: Residents in the affected townships who are uncertain about their assessment were advised to review the county’s online assessment records and, if in doubt, file a complaint before the Sept. 29 deadline; the county will accept and assist filings as needed.