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McLean County to rebill 6,975 parcels after tax-extension error; $3.4M added to second installment
Summary
County Treasurer Becky McNeil told the Finance Committee the county recalculated tax extensions for Ridgeview and Olympia, generating corrected bills for 6,975 parcels that will collect roughly $3.4 million on the second installment; printing and programming costs are $46,127 and affected taxpayers get a 30-day grace period.
On June 4 at the McLean County Finance Committee meeting, County Treasurer Becky McNeil said the county will recalculate the tax extension for 2024 payable 2025 and mail corrected tax bills next week affecting 6,975 parcels in the Ridgeview and Olympia school districts.
McNeil told the committee that Illinois Compiled Statutes gave the county two options and that officials chose to "recalculate extension for 2024, payable 2025 and generate a corrected tax bill," a process that required reprogramming with the county's property-tax software vendor and a temporary freeze on collections to avoid inconsistencies with incoming payments.
The corrected bills, McNeil said, are expected to be mailed the week of June 9; the additional tax for the affected parcels is about $3,400,000 and the county's printing, mailing and programming cost for the 6,975 parcels is $46,127. The added tax will be collected on the second installment due Sept. 4; affected taxpayers will have until Oct. 4 to pay without penalty.
Why this matters: the change affects thousands of taxpayers in two school districts and intersects with statutory deadlines and the county's fall tax-sale schedule. McNeil emphasized the technical complexity: the county's systems are programmed for two equal installments and the correction placed additional tax on the second installment, requiring coordination with the software vendor and a weekend of processing.
Details and committee reaction: McNeil said the county could not have completed the reprogramming without the vendor, and that the work was scheduled for a weekend because "when we are collecting first installment it is literally impossible to take receding down for even 24 hours." She said this is the first time in her 26 years the county has recalculated extension mid-year in this way.
The Treasurer's office plans to include an insert with each corrected bill explaining how to interpret the update and will provide contact information for taxpayers and their escrow companies. McNeil said staff will attempt to reflect any payments already received on corrected bills where possible but cautioned there will be minor issues to work through as payments continue to arrive.
Committee members expressed appreciation for staff work and for the office taking responsibility. Member Loebsick said the corrected bills appearing online helped reassure callers; Member Fagan asked whether the corrected bills will reflect payments already received, and McNeil said the office is "trying to do that." Vice Chair Friedrich thanked staff for owning the issue and for the response.
The county will proceed with statutory delinquency and tax-sale processes as required by Illinois law; McNeil reiterated that state law permits correction but does not postpone tax sale deadlines. Taxpayers affected by the rebilling were told to watch for the corrected statement and the explanatory insert.
