Flossmoor mayor says county still withholding $1.6 million in property-tax disbursements, warns of service risks

Michelle Nelson, mayor of the village of Flossmoor, told the Cook County Board that her village had received only 62% of the estimated second installment of property-tax disbursements, even though the county reported it had distributed 97% of tax funds for 2024. "This delay has put us at risk," Nelson said, listing potential consequences including breach of contractual obligations, violation of the Illinois Prompt Payment Act, pension funding pressure and strains on public-safety services.

Nelson said the delay has cost Flossmoor approximately $55,000 in lost interest income and reduced the village's reserves from $7,000,000 to about $3,600,000. "Please commit today to full transparency with local agencies and provide a definitive timeline for releasing the remaining $1,600,000 owed to Flossmoor," she said.

The mayor framed property taxes as the village's largest revenue source and said staff time has been diverted to managing cash flow and seeking accurate information from county officials. "Operating like this simply isn't sustainable," Nelson added.

The remarks came during the public-comment portion of the Cook County Board meeting; the transcript does not record a response from the board during public comment. The issue ties to multiple budget, cash‑flow and intergovernmental concerns raised by municipalities that rely on timely tax remittances. The county previously reported a near‑complete distribution rate in the aggregate; Nelson's testimony said the distribution to Flossmoor specifically is substantially behind what the county reported.

Next steps were not recorded on the public transcript. The county clerk and finance bureau took up multiple financial reports and contract items later in the agenda, but no direct timeline or commitment to Flossmoor was recorded in the meeting transcript.