Trustee Committee

Trustee Committee

Trustee Committee

While the text below goes into specific details, the Trustee Committee's responsibility can be summarized as, "Oversee the collection of property taxes." This is one of the standing committees defined in county code. Since property taxes are the most prominent interaction many residents have with the County each year, ensuring that residents are represented as well as the money collected is used appropriately is a key duty of each committee member.

This Committee shall:

1. Review the tax assessing and tax collecting programs of the County.
2. Supervise the delinquent tax sale program. The Committee shall be or to extend the final payment date for the purchaser of the property to a maximum of six (6) months past the original sixty (60) day payment period. If the purchaser is occupying the property as his or her place of residence, the final payment date may be extended to a maximum of twelve (12) months past the original sixty (60) day payment period.
   
   In addition, the Committee may extend the final payment date for a person requesting a reconveyance to a maximum of six (6) months. If the person requesting the reconveyance occupies the property as a principal place of residence, the final payment due date may be extended to a maximum of twelve (12) months. Provided, however, all requests for extensions of final payments beyond the above authorized periods shall be referred to the full County Board for approval. When granting extensions, the Trustee Committee and the full County Board will consider, among other things, the following criteria:
   • The petitioners history of payment on the parcel for which the extension is requested.
   • The petitioners history of payment on other parcels.
   • The amount of money owed compared to the purchase price.
   • Petitioners payment of taxes on other parcels of property owned in St. Clair County.
   • Petitioners ability to borrow money from a conventional source.
   • Economic conditions in the taxing districts involved.
   • Economic conditions in the neighborhood in question.
   • Number of bidders on the parcel in question and for similar surrounding parcels.
   • Investment made by purchaser in this property. (i.e. insurance purchased, improvements made, property maintained.)
   • Interest of the purchaser outweighs those of other citizens in the taxing district involved.
3. Work as the Board's liaison with the County Assessor and the Board of Review to determine what changes are necessary to operate a successful tax assessment system.
4. Act in the County's interest at the annual Tax Sale under the Scavenger Act.

What are the "tax assessing and tax collecting programs"? The County Assessor is an elected official who determines the value of real property within the county. The Assessor also handles exemptions (Homestead, Senior, Disable Veteran, etc.) for properties. What the Assessor does not do is calculate taxes, determine tax rates or collect taxes.

Property owners who believe the Assessor has valued their property incorrectly can submit their case to the Board of Review. The Board members are elected and will hear the case and determine if the the property's assessment should be adjusted.

Once the property value has been assessed, the County Clerk will determine the tax rate and calculate the taxes. Finally, the County Treasurer send out the annual real estate tax forms and be the office which collects the taxes. If those taxes are not paid and become delinquent, then the Treasurer is responsible for scheduling a Tax Sale (the last responsibility of the committee above) so the county can collect the taxes owed. (As a note of interest, the "Scavenger Act" was/is part of the Illinois Revenue Code which has been amended in 1978 and 1987, according to this UIC Law Review article, Redemption from Tax Sales in Illinois - Confusion Galore.)

The Trustee Committee therefore oversees four different offices and the work of six elected officials. Having direct voter representation through the committee helps balance out the interests of the County and the residents.

Whatever committee I am assigned to when elected, I will do my best to represent the interests of the people of District 2 (Caseyville, Fairview Heights and O'Fallon) in relation to the county as a whole.

Candidate's Table

The St. Clair County Republicans are holding their final Candidate's Table on Wednesday, October 12 at the County Republican's HQ (4510 N Illinois St #5, Swansea, IL 62226). This is a come-and-go event from 5-7 PM. Many of the county-wide candidates will be present if you want to meet them in person before voting.

EDIT 2022-10-10: Fix formatting typo