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For Immediate Release
5/12/20
Anton L. Mathews
847-377-2043
AMathews@lakecountyil.gov
Lake County, IL- The Lake County Board passed an ordinance for deferred payment of property taxes without penalties as a result of hardship due to the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We all want to help families and residents who are facing economic hardship,” said Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim. “Every single person in our community is facing uncertainty about their economic future. The Board did the right thing by applying the deferred payment plan to all property owners.”
Under the ordinance, Lake County property owners must still pay the full amount of property taxes due. Property owners may pay their property taxes the following schedule without penalty:
- By June 8: 50% of first installment normally due in full on June 8
- By August 7: 50% (remainder) of first installment normally due on June 8
- By September 8: 50% of second installment normally due in full on September 8
- By November 9: 50% (remainder) of second installment normally due on September 8.
Treasurer Kim expressed appreciation to the Board for thoughtfully debating the proposal. “I want to thank the members of the Lake County Board and Chair Sandy Hart for their careful approach to this ordinance. While this ordinance will create unique challenges for my office because we have already prepared and mailed tax bills, the Board’s thorough consideration helps address those challenges.”
The Treasurer’s Office will be issuing guidelines for payments under the new ordinance shortly. “We have to balance the interests of the property owners and the local governments who rely on property tax payments to provide essential services,” Kim said. “We also have to deal with a decision to fundamentally alter how taxes are paid that was made after tax bills were already printed and sent. We will do our best to help taxpayers, but taxpayers may experience longer than usual wait times for customer service as a result of how late this change was made by the Board.”
The Lake County Board also authorized Treasurer Kim to mail notice of the deferred payment plan to Lake County property owners. Lake County property owners will receive this notification in approximately two weeks. Kim also said that her office will provide updates on their web site at www.lakecountytreasurer.info, and through social media at https://www.facebook.com/LakeCountyTreasurer.
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