As we wade deeper into November, enterprising kids are hard at work on their Christmas lists. Parents are keeping tabs, doing the math and planning accordingly to make sure there’s plenty of magic under the tree or gifts lined up for Hanukkah celebrations.
But as we all sit down to budget end-of-year expenses, another big bill is coming due — months later than scheduled. And while the government is allowed to be late, we don’t have the same luxury.
We’re speaking, of course, about the most recent round of Cook County property tax bills, which are due Dec. 15
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.For reference, these bills typically come due in August.
We’ve railed against delinquent property tax bills for months. A pox on these costs hitting families as they’re gearing up for the season of giving.
For those of us who pay our bills and insurance out of pocket, the pain will be immediate. Those of us whose property taxes are paid in escrow will eventually see a higher monthly payment.
These bills have become the proverbial coal in our stocking when they should be coming when it’s still warm and sunny.
Nobody wants to pay their property taxes. Still, being able to predict when they’ll hit provides a sense of certainty, and predictability is a good thing for family budgets.
Compounding the holiday pain the property tax tab presents? The first installment of our 2025 property taxes will come due not long after the holidays are over, creating a condensed timeline and a potential cash crunch as folks figure out how to pay back-to-back bills.
This isn’t the first time this has happened. In 2022, bills for the previous tax year were also delayed until December.
Officials say the bottleneck stems from a 2015 contract with Texas-based Tyler Technologies, which was expected to modernize the property tax billing system within three to five years. But here we are. Supposedly, the fix is in. All we can say on that front is that the people in charge of this process can’t put us all here again next year.
We don’t want a lot for Christmas — but we’d like actual timeliness next year. A smaller bill wouldn’t be so bad, either.
So if you are listening, Santa. …
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