Kane County tax bill angering some residents, but it's not why you think

Kane County’s property tax bills are drawing the ire of some residents who say the mailing looks more like campaign literature than a tax bill.

The revamped bills, which recently hit mailboxes across the county, include the bill, a second sheet titled ‘Your Tax Bill Explained A-Z’ and a flyer highlighting what Kane County Treasurer Chris Lauzen is doing to “hold the line” on taxes. The bill also features a photo of Lauzen on all three pieces, included in the mailing.

Last year’s mailing included only the bill without Lauzen’s photo.

“Mr. Lauzen, who is running for reelection, has seen fit to abuse the power of his office to send an overt campaign message to over 200,000 homes and businesses,” Elburn resident Todd Olson told county board members Tuesday. “He has used your tax bills as a Trojan horse to distribute his campaign literature.”

In an interview, Lauzen, a Republican seeking reelection in the fall, flatly denied the claims.

“We’re very proud of the work we do here,” he said. “It is all straightforward, and it’s not campaigning.”

According to Lauzen, the cost of printing the tax bills was paid through an existing agreement with an outside bank that provides financial services to the county. He added that the bank also covered printing costs last year when the tax bills were mailed out.

Lauzen said he spent time researching how to make the tax bills more informative and transparent. One piece includes a pie chart and a detailed explanation of the different parts of the tax bill.

Another piece included in the mailing explains what Lauzen, who is charged with collecting and distributing tax dollars, is doing to “hold the line” on taxes. That piece explains the increase in interest revenue the county has seen during his tenure.

The redesign of the property tax bill was announced by Lauzen last month. He said many of the changes were reviewed by the state’s attorney’s office, which signed off on using his image on the bills.

Lauzen, who will face Kane County Auditor Penny Wegman, a Democrat, in the November election, said controversy over the bill was politically motivated.

On Thursday, Wegman issued a news release reminding residents that they can report “financially fraudulent, wasteful or abusive practices within Kane County government” to her office through an audit hotline. While it did not mention the property tax bills, the news release came out days after the property tax bills hit mailboxes.

In a statement Tuesday, Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser said her office does not “pass or approve tax bills,” but that she did review portions of the recent mailer.

“The Treasurer’s Office requested that our office provide a legal review of several items contained in the mailings for the property tax bill, which we did,” she said. “The State’s Attorney’s Office, however, did not review or receive the half-sheet insert with the graph or document titled ‘Your Tax Bill Explained A-Z.’”

Mosser said she has received complaints about the mailer. She added that her office is looking into the matter.