Generated Title: Cook County's Tax System: Still a Dumpster Fire in 2025?
Okay, Cook County property taxes. Let's be real – is there anything more guaranteed to make your blood boil? Every freakin' year it's the same song and dance. Delays, excuses, and the creeping dread that you're about to get screwed over again.
So, here we are in late 2025, and what do we have? More delays. The second installment of 2024 taxes is just now due in December. December 15th, to be exact. I mean, give me a break. It's like they're deliberately trying to stress everyone out right before the holidays. Months Late, Second Installment of 2024 Cook County Property Tax Bills to be Due Dec. 15
The "Technological Backbone" Excuse
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle blames it on the "critical overhaul of the technological backbone" of the property tax system. Oh, the "technological backbone." Sounds impressive, right? Like some kind of super-advanced AI that's going to revolutionize everything.
Except, it's apparently been a disaster. A decade-old contract with Tyler Technologies, a Texas-based company, is the scapegoat. They were supposed to modernize the system in three to five years. Three to five years! And now, years later, we're still dealing with this crap.
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas says Tyler Technologies made so many errors that sending bills out earlier would've resulted in incorrect charges. Okay, fair enough. But how many years do we have to keep hearing the same excuse? At what point do we admit this "modernization" is just making things worse?
And what about the cost? How much taxpayer money has been flushed down the toilet on this "overhaul"? I bet it's a number they don't want us to know.
You know what this reminds me of? That time I tried to "upgrade" my computer by installing a new operating system. Spent the whole weekend fighting with drivers, compatibility issues, and error messages, and ended up just reinstalling the old system anyway. Except, in this case, the "old system" was probably more reliable than whatever Frankenstein's monster they've created.
Political Football
Offcourse, the delays are also being used as a political football. Ald. Brendan Reilly is using it to attack Preckwinkle in the Democratic primary. Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi is getting blasted by his challenger, Pat Hynes. And Pappas herself, who's been criticizing the delays, is rumored to be considering a run for Chicago mayor in 2027.
It's always the same, ain't it? Politicians using every opportunity to score points, while the rest of us are stuck dealing with the consequences.
The first installment of 2025's property tax bills won't be due until April, a month later than usual, thanks to a new state law. That's... something, I guess? But it's not a solution. It's a band-aid on a gaping wound.
And speaking of band-aids, Preckwinkle approved millions in no-interest loans to local taxing bodies to offset the fiscal challenges caused by the delays. That’s great and all, but where's the accountability? Who's going to make sure this doesn't happen again?
A Safety Net? More Like a Spider Web
Pappas's office has a "Third-Party Notification program" that allows you to designate someone to receive copies of delinquency notices. Relatives, senior citizens, people with disabilities, etc. It's supposed to be a "safety net."
But let's be honest, how many people even know this program exists? And how many people are actually going to take the time to sign up for it? It's a nice idea, but it feels like another way to shift responsibility onto individuals instead of fixing the underlying problems.
You fill out a form and mail it to her office at 118 N. Clark Street, Room 112, Chicago, IL 60602. I mean, who even uses snail mail anymore? Why isn't there an easier, online system?
So, What's the REAL Problem Here?
At the end of the day, this isn't just about technology or politics. It's about competence. It's about a system that's so convoluted and inefficient that it's practically designed to fail. And it's about the fact that no one seems to be able to fix it. So, yeah, still a dumpster fire.
