Cook County's Tech Debacle: We're Paying the Price for Someone Else's Screw-Up
So, Cook County can't even send out property tax bills on time? Color me shocked. Actually, no, not shocked at all. This is just par for the course in Illinois, where incompetence is practically a state sport.
They're blaming a decade-old contract with some Texas company, Tyler Technologies. A contract signed in 2015! You'd think after almost ten years, they'd have figured out how to send a freakin' bill. But no, here we are, months late, because someone decided to "modernize" things. Modernize? More like "monumentally screw up."
And what's the price we pay for this "modernization"? Late fees? Stress? Uncertainty? You bet your sweet bippy.
The Blame Game: A Chicago Tradition
Of course, everyone's pointing fingers. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle says it's the "critical overhaul of the technological backbone." Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's politician-speak for "we messed up, but don't blame me."
Then you've got Ald. Brendan Reilly trying to use this to boost his chances of unseating Preckwinkle. And Assessor Fritz Kaegi getting heat from his challenger, even though his office supposedly didn't contribute to the delay. It's like a clown show, except the clowns are playing with our money.
Treasurer Maria Pappas is running for reelection, too, and maybe thinking about a mayoral run in 2027. All this political maneuvering while we're all sitting here wondering when the hell our tax bills are going to arrive. Honestly, it's insulting.
It's like that old saying: never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by incompetence. But in Cook County? It's probably a healthy mix of both.
A System Rigged Against Us?
They say property taxes are a "significant source of revenue" for local governments and schools. Okay, fine. But when the system is this broken, this unreliable, it makes you wonder where all that money is really going. And, offcourse, how much of it gets wasted due to sheer mismanagement?
Forty percent of all local government revenue in Illinois comes from property taxes, apparently. And historically, over 60% of public school funding. That's a HUGE chunk of change. So why can't they get their act together?
Preckwinkle approved millions in no-interest loans to local taxing bodies to offset the delays. Which is great, I guess. But it's also like putting a band-aid on a gaping wound. The real problem is the broken system itself.
I mean, what about the rest of us? Do we get no-interest loans when the county screws up? No. We just get to deal with the consequences.
Let's be real, the county's incompetence is our inconvenience.
"Modernization": A Code Word for Disaster
This whole "modernization" effort reminds me of that time I tried to upgrade my computer. Spent hours wrestling with drivers, compatibility issues, and endless error messages. In the end, I just ended up with a slower, more complicated machine. And I'm pretty sure that's exactly what happened here.
Maybe they should've just stuck with the old system. At least it (probably) worked. Or maybe they should have hired someone who knew what they were doing, instead of going with the lowest bidder from Texas.
The bills are supposed to be mailed out by November 14th, due December 15th. I'll believe it when I see it. And I'll be holding my breath until then. Months Late, Second Installment of 2024 Cook County Property Tax Bills to be Due Dec. 15