Property tax time is here and that means Lake County property owners will be receiving a bill in the mail by early May. The bills are for 2009 property taxes, which are payable in 2010 in two installments. The first due date is set for June 3, 2010 and the second installment due date is set for September 3, 2010.

Property owners who DO NOT receive a bill by May 10, or those looking for payment options, can obtain this information online at www.lakecountyil.gov/treasurer or by calling the Treasurer's Office at 847.377.2323.

Lake County Treasurer Bob Skidmore said, "Once homeowners receive their tax bills, they frequently ask whether it is too late to appeal their taxes. The answer to that question is: basically yes. Appeals should have been filed 30 days from the date the assessment rolls were published."

It is extremely important for property owners to pay close attention to their total property tax exemptions listed on the bill. These exemptions could lower the current tax bill. For a complete list of exemptions, go to:             www.lakecountyil.gov/TREASURER/PROPERTYTAXRELIEF.

County residents receive a single tax bill for the full year's taxes. That bill is payable in two equal installments. Taxpayers DO NOT receive a second bill when the second installment is due.

Per Illinois State Statutes, the County is required to add 1.5% interest for taxes paid or post-marked after the due dates. Those homeowners that are unable to pay their property taxes on time should be aware that we will accept partial payments with the understanding that interest will be charged on any outstanding balance.

Payment options include payment by mail, in person at the Lake County Treasurer's Office, 18 N. County Street, Waukegan, or at most Lake County banks. Taxpayers may also make payments online by credit card or e-check at www.lakecountyil.gov/treasurer. A fee is charged by the processing company for these payments.

Keep in mind, tax bills are based on the assessment of your property that took place last year, and the appeal process has already passed. An assessment is the process of appraising real property and giving it a value, which is the basis for determining what portion of the total tax burden each property owner will bear. It's a complex cycle, but it's important for taxpayers to be aware of how this process works. Read the "Property Tax Overview" and other helpful information at www.lakecountyil.gov/Assessor.

If you think there is an error on your tax bill, you can talk to your local township assessor to be sure that a factual error has not occurred. By law, only factual errors can be corrected once the bills go out.

Completing the 2010 Census Questionnaire: Simple and Safe

The 2010 Census questionnaire asks only a few simple questions of each person- name, relationship, gender, age and date of birth, race and whether the respondent owns or rents his or her home. This simple, short questionnaire takes just a few minutes to complete and return. 2010 Census will be the short form only – just 10 easy questions.

www.census.gov/2010census

Why Is The Census Taken?

• The U.S. Constitution (Article 1, Section 2) mandates a headcount every 10 years, of everyone residing in the United States: in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas. This includes people of all ages, races, ethnic groups, citizens, and non citizens. The first census was conducted in 1790 and has been carried out every 10 years since then.
     

• The next census occurs in 2010. The population totals from this census will determine the number of seats each state has in the U. S. House of Representatives. States also use the totals to redraw their legislative districts.
      

• The U.S. Census Bureau must submit state population totals to the President of the United States by December 31, 2010.
     

• The population count totals also affect funding in Deerfield, and data collected in the census help inform decision makers about how the community is changing. Approximately $300 billion in federal funding is distributed to communities each year. It’s extremely important that Deerfield gets an accurate population count as there is a great deal of money involved in the final census numbers. Various funding such as the State of Illinois income tax funding and the federal government’s motor fuel tax funding are based on census numbers.
     

• Census data helps potential homeowners research property values, median income, and other demographic information about a particular community.
     

• Corporations use population data for market research to determine locations for commercial enterprises, such as food stores, pharmacies, and other essential services.

Will the 2010 Census be the same as 2000 Census?

No, there are some important changes:

• 2010 Census will be short form only – just 10 easy questions.
    

• The long form is now part of the annual American Community Survey.
     

• Handheld computers with Global Positioning System will be used to check our address list in 2009.

Coming Soon

Census questionnaires will be mailed in March 2010

• Your answers are protected by law (Title 13 of the U.S. Code, Section 9) and are strictly confidential. It is illegal for the Census Bureau, or its employees, to share your personal information with any other government agency – not law enforcement, IRS, Welfare, FBI, Immigration, etc.
    

• No court of law, not even the President of the United States, can access your individual responses.