PRESS RELEASE
Kane County Treasurer Chris Lauzen Distributes $8.7 Million to Local Taxing Bodies at No Cost to Taxpayers
Nearly 300 school districts, fire districts, libraries and townships among local governments to benefit
Geneva, IL – The Kane County Treasurer's Office has distributed more than $8.7 million in interest income to nearly 300 local taxing bodies across Kane County between 2021 and 2025, with annual distributions growing from $2,312 in 2021 to a peak of $3.49 million in 2024, an increase of more than 1,500 times over four years.
The Kane County Treasurer's Office collects taxes on behalf of nearly 300 local taxing bodies and distributes interest income proportionally based on each entity's collections during the time the tax receipts are managed by the County Treasurer. Recipients include school districts, townships, fire protection districts, park districts, libraries, villages, and special service areas throughout the county. The largest school districts received hundreds of thousands of dollars; smaller drainage districts and special service areas received more modest but meaningful shares.
"The core responsibility of this office is to ensure that every dollar of public money held in trust is managed with discipline and care," said Treasurer Chris Lauzen. "Active investment management is part of that obligation. When the interest rate environment created an opportunity, this office was positioned to deliver the full benefit to the local governments and residents we serve."
The growth in distributions reflects both the Federal Reserve's interest rate increases beginning in 2022 and the Treasurer's Office's ongoing investment discipline. In 2021, total distributions countywide amounted to $2,312. By 2022, as rates began climbing, distributions reached $290,956. In 2023 they surpassed $2.1 million, and in 2024 reached $3.49 million, all without any cost to taxpayers.
The interest distributions are in addition to the tens of millions the County itself earns annually on its own pooled funds, but they represent direct, no-cost revenue for local governments that rely on every dollar to fund services for Kane County residents. For school districts, fire departments, park districts, and libraries, this is real money that reduces pressure on levies and budgets without asking residents for more.
About the Kane County Treasurer’s Office
The Kane County Treasurer’s Office is responsible for the collection, safeguarding and distribution of more than $1.7 billion in property tax revenue each year, serving approximately 500,000 residents, 200,000 property taxpayers, and more than 300 local taxing bodies, including schools, municipalities and special districts. The office ensures that funds are collected accurately and distributed in a timely and reliable manner.
The office also oversees the investment of county funds, with a focus on protecting principal, maintaining liquidity, and earning a prudent return for taxpayers. In recent years, these efforts have generated investment income 10 times more than earlier projections, strengthening county finances without increasing the tax burden.
In addition to its core financial responsibilities, the Treasurer’s Office works to provide clear reporting and accessible information so residents can better understand the property tax system and how public funds are managed. Its operations are conducted with an emphasis on accuracy, accountability and consistent service to the public.
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“UNDERSTANDING YOUR PROPERTY TAX BILL”
Coming to a Library Near You
(Geneva, Illinois) – The Kane County Treasurer’s Office will have nine (9) outreach events to explain the “new and improved” tax bill and to address taxpayers’ questions. The new format is an approach that improves transparency and accountability. There is a modernized option to go paperless.
We will have a staff member on site at each of these outreach events to make sure citizens are receiving their qualified property tax exemptions. We will check for these exemptions while you wait. If taxpayers do not have their qualified property tax exemptions, we can start the process of how they can obtain those property tax savings.
We will be at the following locations over the next couple of weeks:
- April 30th – Town & Country Public Library – 6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
- May 4th – Batavia Public Library – 5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- May 5th – Aurora Public Library West Branch – 5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- May 5th – Aurora Public Library Santori Branch – 6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
- May 6th – Huntley Area Public Library – 6:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
- May 7th – Sugar Grove Public Library – 5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- May 11th – St. Charles Public Library – 5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- May 18th – Gail Borden Public Library Elgin – 5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
- May 18th – Gail Borden Public Library South Elgin 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
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Kane County Treasurer Chris Lauzen Announces Historic Redesign of Property Tax Bill
New format brings transparency, accountability, and modern delivery to Kane County taxpayers for the first time in county history
Geneva, IL – Kane County Treasurer Chris Lauzen has announced the most significant redesign of the Kane County property tax bill in the county’s history, introducing changes intended to help residents better understand how their tax dollars are distributed and to improve how bills are delivered and tracked. The updated format reflects a broader effort by the Treasurer's Office to bring clarity to a tax bill that many residents have long found enigmatic, cryptic, and costly.
Bills reflecting the new design will be mailed to all 199,000+ Kane County property owners by May 1, 2026.
"Let's face it: the only way to make a property tax bill better is to make it lower," said Treasurer Lauzen. "I can't do that. But I can increase transparency and accountability, and that is exactly what I’m doing."
One of the most visible changes is the addition of a pie chart showing how tax dollars are allocated among school districts, municipalities, the county, and other taxing bodies. For many residents, the property tax bill has long presented a final amount to pay without much explanation. The chart is intended to give taxpayers a clearer and more immediate understanding of where their money goes and how different layers of government add to the total.
The redesigned bill also includes direct phone numbers for elected and appointed officials whose decisions influence the tax rates applied to each property. While the Treasurer’s Office is responsible for collecting and distributing property taxes, each taxing body independently sets its own levy. Lauzen said residents often ask where to direct questions about their bills, particularly when those bills increase. By placing that information directly on the bill, the office is making those lines of responsibility easier to see and act on.
“The people I serve are frustrated,” Lauzen said. “They want to know who to talk to. This puts that information in one place, right on the bill.”
Property owners will now also be able to receive their tax bills electronically. The paperless system allows for faster delivery and provides a secure digital record that can be accessed at any time. Enrollment requires identity verification to confirm property ownership, and once a taxpayer enrolls, paper delivery is discontinued. The system also updates automatically when ownership changes, so that prior owners no longer receive statements tied to a property they no longer hold. This year, for the first time, every bill will also be accompanied by a complete "Your Tax Bill Explained A-Z" guide, giving residents a full package of information alongside their statement.
“There will be a record,” Lauzen said. “People will know when their bill was sent and when their payment was received. It brings a little more certainty to something that hasn’t always felt that way.”
The Treasurer’s Office has also introduced a tracking system designed to provide greater certainty around both delivery and payment. The system creates a record of when each bill enters the USPS postal system and when it is delivered, along with a separate record showing when payments are returned, received, and applied. Lauzen said this addresses a long-standing concern among residents who are unsure whether a bill or payment has been received.
The changes followed a competitive procurement process to update the county's tax billing and mailing services. The Treasurer's Office set clear, measurable standards before selecting a vendor. Those requirements included independent review of all data handling and printing operations, a minimum 98 percent address accuracy rate with undeliverable addresses reported back to the county, full-service certification from the U.S. Postal Service, and backup production capacity sufficient to restore full operations within 24 hours of any disruption. Printing, mailing preparation, and data handling are all kept within a single accountable operation, with no subcontracting of any portion of the work.
As part of that system, the county now uses Intelligent Mail barcode technology to create a verifiable record of when each bill enters the mail stream and when it is delivered.
About the Kane County Treasurer’s Office
The Kane County Treasurer’s Office is responsible for the collection, safeguarding and distribution of more than $1.7 billion in property tax revenue each year, serving approximately 200,000 taxpayers and more than 300 local taxing bodies, including schools, municipalities and special districts. The office ensures that funds are collected accurately and distributed in a timely and reliable manner.
The office also oversees the investment of county funds, with a focus on protecting principal, maintaining liquidity, and earning a prudent return for taxpayers. In recent years, these efforts have generated investment income 10 times more than projections, strengthening county finances without increasing the tax burden.
In addition to its core financial responsibilities, the Treasurer’s Office works to provide clear reporting and accessible information so residents can better understand the property tax system and how public funds are managed. Its operations are conducted with an emphasis on accuracy, accountability and consistent service to the public.
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2026 KANE COUNTY REAL ESTATE TAX BILLS
April 29, 2026
KANE COUNTY TREASURER Chris Lauzen announced today that the 2025 payable in 2026 Kane County Real Estate Tax Bills will be in the mail on or before May 1, 2026. Treasurer Lauzen shared that the first installment will be due June 1, 2026 and the second installment will be due September 1, 2026.
Repairs to the Building A elevator at the Government Center are currently in progress and unavailable until mid-June. Access to the Treasurer's Office second floor is limited to the stairs.
Taxpayers have multiple options to make payments in the following methods:
E-checks are free.
- In our Drive-Up Payment Drop Box.
- Many Kane County Banks accept on-time payments at their drive-up facilities, if accompanied with a payment coupon.
- Mail your payment using a check, payment coupon and the envelope provided with your tax bill.
- Kane County Treasurer's Office during regular business hours.
- Kane County Clerk's Aurora Branch Office, located at 5 E. Downer Place, Suite F, in downtown Aurora and the Elgin Branch Office, located at 2170 Point Blvd., Suite 600, Elgin (personal checks or money orders only).
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