County Addresses Senior Tax Exemption Processing Error

A processing error that cost County Board member Julie Berkowicz $600 in senior tax exemptions has prompted discussions about improving verification systems for property tax breaks.

Will County Chief Assessment Officer Dale Butalla acknowledged his office’s responsibility for a mistake that prevented County Board member Julie Berkowicz from receiving her senior tax exemption in 2023, resulting in approximately $600 in additional taxes.

Butalla explained the error occurred when staff scanned Berkowicz’s exemption application but failed to enter the information into the computer system. The mistake was one of only two such errors found countywide over the past two years among more than 280,000 property parcels.

“I take full responsibility for that,” Butalla told the committee. “It was entirely my office’s fault.”

However, Butalla said state law prevents corrections after November 1 of the tax year, meaning the county cannot refund money for errors discovered after that deadline. The law requires that government entities must be able to rely on finalized tax collections.

Berkowicz criticized the county’s response when she discovered the error, saying staff suggested she should have caught the mistake sooner when paying her tax bill.

“I think we ought to have the technology to be able to verify with our homeowners what exemptions are applied to their tax status,” Berkowicz said. She noted that other counties, including some in Michigan, send email confirmations to residents about their exemptions.

County Board member Jim Richmond suggested the county could simply cut checks to the two affected property owners, noting the relatively small cost compared to the county’s $800 million budget. However, County Attorney Mary Tatroe said state statute prevents such payments.

The committee discussed potential improvements including email notifications to residents, additional verification steps, and enhanced quality control measures. Butalla said his office is exploring options for cross-referencing scanned applications with system entries to prevent future errors.

Richmond noted the county has an exceptional error rate of only two mistakes out of 280,000 parcels, calling it “a phenomenal result” comparable to private sector standards.