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Stephenson County officials explain state multiplier, callers ask for clearer tax bills
Summary
County treasurer and assessor staff described how a state-required multiplier after revaluation affected property tax bills and acknowledged the tax bill format makes the multiplier hard for taxpayers to see.
Stephenson County officials outlined why a state-imposed assessment multiplier appears on this year’s property tax bills and acknowledged the current bill format makes the multiplier’s effect difficult for many taxpayers to find.
County Treasurer (unnamed) reported that county funds were down $941,004.91, or 3.42 percent, as of May 31 and that the county’s invested funds totaled about $12,000,009.07 at month end. She said tax collection is underway: an installment is due June 27 and 25,758 tax bills were mailed; as of June 10, about $14,700,000 in payments had been collected. The treasurer also told the committee public feedback this year has been “significantly more respectful,” which she attributed in part to a posted no-tolerance statement.
Committee members and the supervisor of assessments said the county underwent a revaluation this year and that some townships were below the state’s target assessment level of 33 percent of market value, which triggered use of a state multiplier. The supervisor said she tried to set the smallest multiplier that would meet statutory requirements but that rapid sale-price increases in 2022 and 2023 meant tentative and final multipliers still left the county below the target assessment level.
Several committee members and staff raised concerns that the billing company’s format does not display the multiplier calculation or the explicit dollar amount it adds. One committee member said taxpayers must perform their own math to see the effect; the treasurer confirmed the billing format does not show the calculation and said the billing company supplies the current format.
The supervisor of assessments said the multiplier applies to residential land and houses but does not apply to farmland or farm buildings, and that the additional tax revenue from the multiplier is distributed to all taxing districts, not just the county general fund. Committee members asked for clearer public explanations on the bills and discussed whether alternative bill formats are available from the vendor.
No formal board action was taken on the issue during the meeting; the discussion centered on clarifying information for the public and on internal follow-up about whether different bill formats are available from vendors.
