WILL COUNTY PROPERTY TAXES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Why did the Tinley Park tax rate change?

The Village and the other governments do not set tax rates. The Village of Tinley Park has no control

over the property tax rate that is determined each year. The tax rates for every government appearing

on the tax bill will typically change from one year to the next. The tax rate is essentially the ratio of the

levy amount requested by the government relative to the total EAV applicable for each governmental

The tax rate is the ratio of each government’s tax levy to the overall tax value (EAV) of all properties

within that government’s boundaries. There is an inverse relationship between the tax base and the tax

rate. When the tax base (EAV) decreases, the tax rate will increase; even if the tax levy does not change.

Why?.”)

The annual tax levy for the Village of Tinley Park and the Tinley Park Public Library are supposed to be

shared equitably by all taxpayers within Tinley Park based on their individual property values. As you

know, the Village of Tinley Park covers territory in both Cook and Will Counties. The annual tax levies of

the preliminary (estimated) share of the Village and Library tax levies to be spread across the Will

County properties and to determine an estimated Will County tax rate. Once the Cook County EAV is

known, Will County must recalculate the percentage of the Village’s tax levy for the year that should

have been spread against Will County properties. The difference between the initial estimate and actual

share of the levy for Will County is then added or subtracted in the calculation of the tax extension and

rates for the following tax year for the Will County taxpayers. Because of this annual adjustment, it will

skew the comparison of tax rates and the amount of taxes computed for the Village of Tinley Park

between two tax years.

It is important to keep in mind that this decrease in property value does not affect the amount of dollars

The property tax system is based on taxpayers paying an equitable share of a government’s property

government’s property tax base (Equalized Assessed Value; or EAV) is located only within one County.

However, the Village of Tinley Park (and the Tinley Park Public Library) includes territory in both Cook

and Will Counties.

The Cook County EAV for a tax year is not known when Will County is performing its tax extensions in

preparation of issuing its tax bills for a tax year. This requires the Will County Clerk’s Tax Extension

Office to use of an estimate of the Cook County tax base in order to determine an estimated Total EAV

for Tinley Park. This estimated total EAV is used in calculating the estimated percentage share of the

Village and Library tax levies to be spread across the Will County properties of Tinley Park.

Subsequently, usually later in the calendar year, once the Cook County EAV is known for the tax year,

Will County recalculates the actual share of the tax levy that should have been extended against/billed

levy amount from Will County properties each tax year. A “look-back” adjustment is part of the Village

and Library taxes as they appear on the Will County tax bill each year.

Unfortunately, this process of levy estimation in the initial tax year, and the related levy finalization

the comparative amounts of taxes paid from year to year. The Village of Tinley Park has no control over

the Will County process of estimating EAV and the related determination of tax rate.

My taxes went up even though my property value is less than last year. Why?

of that government’s tax levy. The proportion (ratio) of the tax levy to the Equalized Assessed Value

(EAV) determines the property tax rate each year.

Property taxes collect a fixed amount of money that was levied (requested) by each government

reflected on your property tax bill in order to fund their respective governmental operations. This fixed

amount is spread proportionately over all property within that government’s boundaries based on the

individual property values. In this manner, all properties pay a portion of that government’s tax levy.

rate each year.

The total amount of money levied for a government is $100. There are only two

properties within that government’s boundaries with equal taxable value of $50 each, or

$100 in total. The ratio of the levy to the tax base is 100 percent, which is also stated as

a tax rate of $1.00 per $100 dollars of EAV. Each property owner pays $50 in taxes.

In the following year, Property A is still worth $50, but Property B is now worth $45, for

a total of $95 in EAV. The government’s tax levy request has remained unchanged and

is again $100. The resulting tax rate is now $1.0526 per $100 of EAV ($100 levy divided

by $95 EAV).

Even though the tax rate increased in the second year, the government still only

receives the $100 it asked for (levied).

The tax bill does not reflect my Homeowner’s Exemption(s). What can I do?

An owner-occupied primary residence is eligible for a General homestead exemption. The owner of

such residence that is 65 years of age or older within the TAX year is also eligible for the Senior Citizen

homestead exemption. There are additional exemptions applicable to Veterans and Persons with

Disabilities. You may also refer to the Frankfort Township Assessor’s website for more information

On the right-hand side of the tax bill is a box under the heading “Tax Calculator” that shows how your

tax bill was determined. If any of the lines for exemptions show “.00” you did not receive benefit of that

exemption. If you think you are entitled to one of these exemptions, you should contact or visit the

Frankfort Township Assessor or the Will County Supervisor of Assessments to file a Certificate of Error

form.

The table below reflects the amounts of Homeowners and Senior Citizen homestead exemptions

applicable for eligible individuals. The indicated exemption amount(s) is(are) subtracted from the

Assessed Value after it has been multiplied and adjusted by the Equalization Factor.

Further information about exemptions can be found on the following websites:

Frankfort Township Assessor Frankfort Township Assessor (frankfortassessor.com)

Will County Supervisor of Assessments Exemptions (willcountysoa.com)

will have the EAV of the property frozen at the 2012 EAV. Under the program’s current guidelines, the

owner must be age 65 or older and have total household income of less than $65,000 to qualify for this

exemption. Those who qualify and receive this exemption should be aware that this does not freeze the

amount of their tax bill. The application form can be found at Forms (willcountysoa.com)

You may also visit the following websites for more information on exemptions.

Frankfort Township Assessor Frankfort Township Assessor (frankfortassessor.com)

Will County Supervisor of Assessments Exemptions (willcountysoa.com)

You may also wish to contact the Frankfort Township Assessor or the Will County Supervisor of

Assessments offices.

What portion of my tax bill goes to the Village?

The portion of the total tax bill that is distributed to the Village of Tinley Park will vary based on the

other overlapping taxing bodies that serve a property and their respective tax levy requests. On

average, about 12 percent of your total taxes go to Tinley Park. As is typical throughout the State, based

on the overall Tinley Park averages, the majority of your property tax money goes to support elementary

school, high school and community college education services (72 percent); followed by the Village; then

the County and Township (9 percent); Park District (4 percent); and Public Library (3 percent).

taxes due to the timing of the property tax cycle. Property taxes are billed in arrears (e.g., 2014

property taxes are paid in 2015). Most local governments, including Tinley Park, will look to when those

property taxes are collected to support the then current operations. So, frequently governments will

anticipate their future financial needs when taxes are collected in setting the amount of their levy each

year. The Village does consider its other revenue sources available to support operations (sales tax,

income tax, etc.) in establishing its levy request each year, and additionally has utilized tax cap formulas

to limit growth in the levy amount.

Inflation and increases in commodity costs, health insurance, liability insurance, and contractually

obligated wage increases impact operating costs from year to year. These normal increases run counter

In an attempt to provide financial disclosure to taxpayers, the Cook County Treasurer’s Office, in

conjunction with the Cook County Board, developed a “Debt Disclosure Ordinance” (DDO) to require all

Cook County taxing districts to provide certain disclosures to the Cook County Treasurer about its

finances on an annual basis with particular emphasis on debts and liabilities. This information can be

found under “Taxing District’s Financial Statements” under the Cook County Treasurer’s website

www.cookcountytreasurer.com

or the Cook County Property Tax Portal

www.cookcountypropertyinfo.com.

We applaud the County’s efforts to create a central repository of information for taxing bodies in Cook

County. However, similar financial reporting has been available through the State Comptroller’s Office

for many years. Additionally, many taxing bodies (including the Village of Tinley Park) already provide

The Cook County Treasurer’s Debt Disclosure Ordinance has placed heavy emphasis on the total debt

owed by taxing districts in Cook County. Regrettably, the County has prohibited governments from

providing additional disclosure of the types and amounts of the various “debts” included in their

required disclosure of “total debt.” The data inputs that the County requests under the DDO can create

a misleading representation of a taxing district’s debt. Additionally, looking solely at debt does not

provide a fair or reasonable picture of the financial position and financial operations of a taxing district

and its ability to manage the reported debt, so we recommend caution in drawing conclusions from the

data points presented on the County website under the Taxing District’s Financial Statements

information.

with considerable caution, especially for comparative purposes as the information has not undergone

any vetting or validation process before being published by Cook County on its website.

We would note that there is more useful financial information can be found in the annual audit report

(Annual Comprehensive Financial Report) that each taxing district is required to upload as part of the

Debt Disclosure Ordinance. These reports can be viewed by clicking on the linked Fiscal Year date on the

Cook County Treasurer’s website. As noted, additional financial information may also be found on the

Illinois State Comptroller’s website. In the interest of Open Government and Transparency, many taxing

districts will have considerable financial disclosures included on their individual websites.

How can I learn more about where my taxes go?

The Village has posted these FAQs, informational tables, charts, and graphs on the Transparency Portal

Transparency Portal (tinleypark.org) of its website www.tinleypark.org

.

You may also visit:

Frankfort Township Assessor Frankfort Township Assessor (frankfortassessor.com)

Will County Clerk Office of Tax Extension Will County, IL (willcountyclerk.gov)

Will County Treasurer WILL COUNTY TREASURER

You also can visit the websites of the various taxing bodies or contact them directly for more

information about their tax levies.