McHenry Co. OKs Waiver On Property Tax Fees

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — The McHenry County Board has approved a 90-day waiver of late fees and interest on the second installment of property taxes due Thursday, Sept. 17, as part of a continuing effort to help homeowners and businesses deal with the financial burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, county officials said. In a special meeting this past week, county board members approved an ordinance giving taxpayers until Dec. 15 to pay their second installment without penalty.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has hammered households and businesses throughout McHenry County, and economic recovery is going to take a long time,” County Board Chairman Jack Franks, D-Marengo, said. “Many businesses have been able to reopen with restrictions, and Americans are returning to work, but McHenry County’s unemployment rate still stands at 10 percent. With a second round of federal stimulus funding appearing increasingly unlikely, it is vital that we enact a grace period for this second installment to give our overtaxed residents more time to get back on their feet.”

However, the waiver for the first installment will still expire as scheduled on Tuesday, Sept. 15, according to a news release. Property owners who miss the Tuesday deadline will be responsible for retroactive late fees and interest.

While state law does not allow counties to postpone the due date for property taxes, it does allow
them to waive the imposition of fees and interest for late payment. The county’s waiver does not
apply to property owners whose taxes are paid through escrow.

The county board last April, while Illinois was in the midst of an economically crushing lockdown to slow COVID-19’s spread, approved a 90-day waiver for the first installment that expires Sept. 15.

Had the county board not approved an extension on the second installment, property owners who
took advantage of the first waiver would have had to pay their entire bill in full with the second
installment.

Taxpayers who miss the Sept. 15 grace period for the first installment, or the Dec. 15 grace period
for the second, will be responsible for late fees and interest retroactive to the due date.

Franks urged people who have the financial means to pay their second installment on time to do so to help ensure that local schools, first responders and other government services are adequatelyfunded.