MILLIONS of dollars in Cook County property tax refunds are currently stalled due to delays caused by a computer system upgrade. A local woman is still waiting on more than $9,000, but her issue began long before the recent computer troubles.
South Barrington homeowner Sherry Schnell finally has much-needed signed certificates of error.
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“The problem is they’re not paying out any money yet,” Schnell said.
She has been waiting on more than $9,000 since ABC7’s first I-Team report on her square-footage error one year ago.
“I feel that we are owed. It is only fair. We paid it when we shouldn’t have been paying it,” Schnell said.
The current delay, according to Cook County officials, is the result of the computer upgrade, affecting more than $84 million in refunds to over 37,000 homeowners. However, Schnell’s situation started years ago when she found that other homes like hers, and even larger homes, were assessed at lower values.
In an October 2024 report, the I-Team and the deputy assessor from the Barrington Township assessor’s office proved that the Cook County assessor had mistakenly calculated her home as having nearly 300 extra square feet, resulting in higher tax bills.
In May of this year, Schnell still was not seeing her money.
“They weren’t issuing the certificates of errors,” Schnell said.
So, the I-Team inquired with the county assessor and the Cook County Board of Review.
George Cardenas, Commissioner of the First District Cook County Board of Review, stated that after the I-Team investigated, he contacted the Cook County Assessor’s Office.
ABC7 Consumer Investigator Jason Knowles asked him, “You’re saying the board of review did not have those certificates of error?”
“We did not. We did not,” Cardenas responded.
“We expedited the process. The error certificates were then processed and approved,” Cardenas explained. “The media played a crucial role by shedding light on this, holding people accountable, and forcing the issue into the spotlight.”
The assessor’s office says the process can be slow and said it had to complete another field inspection on Schnell’s home.
“We deeply sympathize with the homeowner and understand her frustration,” said Cook County Assessor’s Office Chief Communications Officer Angelina Romero. “The process can be exasperating. It’s not about blaming individuals or offices; the system requires collaboration between offices to approve error corrections, and mutual cooperation is essential to move these processes forward.”
But the delay in getting Schnell’s money continues because of the delay with the Cook County computer upgrade.
In July, The I-Team told you about the massive delays and finger-pointing between county offices and the private company, Tyler Technologies, completing that upgrade. ABC7 found that the county paid Tyler Technologies close to $29 million over a 10-year period. And the I-Team found the company’s business license was revoked in April for failing to file an annual report with the state, but it was recently reinstated. Tyler Technologies told the I-Team it was due to an administrative processing error and that, “Our teams continue to work diligently with the county on all aspects of the software transition and implementation.”
For now, taxpayers like Schnell can only look at certificates of error and wait.
“Maybe they hope we are going to give up, but I am not going to give up because what’s fair is fair,” Schnell said.
The computer upgrade mess is also holding back millions of dollars in property tax payments to 2,200 taxing agencies relying on the revenue. The delays are also slowing down the second installment property tax bills from being issued. They were supposed to be out months ago. There is a chance the bills could be out in November or December, but at this point, it is anybody’s guess.
