In contrast to last year, Monroe County property owners will soon be getting their tax bills. 

The bills, which were mailed the first week of December last year, should be in the mail next week or by the end of the month at the latest. 

They are currently being printed at MAR Graphics in Valmeyer. 

The county is collecting $60,761,609.72 in taxes this year, a 3.75 percent increase from last year’s $58,563,104.72

Monroe County Treasurer Kevin Koenigstein said there is a simple reason for that increase. 

“The taxing bodies always seem to be asking for a little higher in their levies,” he said. 

In addition to that $2,198,505 increase, assessments overall were up because Monroe County was issued a multiplier of 1.04610 by the state. 

Last year’s multiplier was 1.0180. 

The multiplier is used to achieve uniform property assessments among counties as required by law. It compares the sales price of individual properties sold over the last three years to the assessed value of those properties.

The multiplier is applied to all 18,251 non-farmland parcels in the county that are taxed. 

Depending on where residents live, real estate taxes help fund local schools, roads, fire departments, municipal responsibilities, the operation of the county itself and more. 

This year, the county’s share of the taxes is $7,477,538.49, up from last year’s $7,159,019.11 total. 

The county’s tax rate is .86178. Last year it was .84236. 

Similarly, tax rates throughout the county remained relatively steady. 

Other large recipients of property taxes include the cities of Waterloo and Columbia and the local school districts. 

Waterloo will get $1,347,094.11, while its school district will get $20,021,362.03 from Monroe County real estate taxes.

Meanwhile, Columbia will receive $2,590,375.01, and its school will get $15,104,229.63.

Another important note with Columbia is that it’s fire district tax increased after voters OK’d bringing Columbia EMS under the purview of the Columbia Fire Department instead of Monroe County. 

Finally, Valmeyer will get $184,966.39 for the village and $2,619,222.91 for the school. 

Throughout the county, the first payment on tax bills is due Oct. 8, and the second is due Nov. 8.

Property tax bills can be paid at local banks, by mail or online through the state’s E-Pay system. 

That can be accessed by going to monroecountyil.gov/departments/treasurers-office/tax-payments/ and clicking on the Illinois E-Pay website link.

 Property taxes can also be paid early. 

So far, the county has collected $118,966.75 in prepayments. Last year, it had about $1.4 million in early payments. 

Many of last year’s early payments likely came as a result of the bills coming out so late. Koenigstein said that may also have an impact on citizens’ ability or willingness to pay again so soon.

With that in mind, Koenigstein asked for taxpayers’ patience, outlining three reasons why it is important to pay on time. 

“We’re trying to catch up with other counties in the normal process and cycle of tax collections,” he noted. 

He also pointed out the county’s fiscal year ends Nov. 30, so it makes the budgeting process much simpler if it has collected all its taxes by then. 

Finally, Koenigstein said these tax dollars are critical for local schools, which get the majority of their revenue from property taxes. 

“The school districts would really like to get their money when the schools open,” he explained. “Unfortunately, we won’t be able to accommodate that, but we’d like to get it to them as soon as possible.”

For more information on property tax bills, call the Monroe County Treasurer’s Office at 939-8681, ext. 208. 

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Listed below are the tax rates for the different municipalities in Monroe County for tax levy year 2018, payable in 2019. 

Waterloo 

Monroe County: .86178

School District: 4.34968

SWIC: .45752

City of Waterloo: .5299

Park District: .12643

Cemetery District: .00432

Fire District: .30768

Total rate: 6.63731

Columbia

Monroe County: .80183

School District: 4.44124

SWIC: .45752

City of Columbia: .91348

Fire District: .2692

Total rate: 6.88327

Valmeyer

Monroe County: .86178

SWIC: .45752

School District: 4.15729

Fire District: .27746

Village of Valmeyer: .87588

Valmeyer Library: .10717

Total rate: 6.7371

Hecker

Monroe County: .86178

SWIC: .45752

Waterloo Schools: 4.34968 

Village of Hecker: .59508

Fire District: .33166

Total rate: 6.59572

Maeystown

Monroe County: .86178

SWIC: .45752

Valmeyer School: 4.15729

Fire District: .42007

Village of Maeystown: .5448

Valmeyer Library: .10717

Total rate: 6.54863

Fults

Monroe County: .86178

SWIC: .45752

Valmeyer School: 4.15729

Maeystown Fire: .42007

Road District: .57003

Village of Fults: .43933

Valmeyer Library: .10717

Levee District: .3685

Total rate: 7.38169