The Republic-Times is publishing 2020 property tax assessments for Monroe County in this week’s paper. For a list of locations that sell the newspaper, click here.

Monroe County Assessor Carl Wuertz said that overall, assessments “are generally slightly higher than those assessed last year.”

Assessments are based on median property sales recorded over a three-year period and estimate the worth of a piece of property. For 2020’s assessments, Wuertz used sales reports from 2017-2019.

Residents have 30 days from when assessments are published to lodge formal complaints with the Board of Review.

Once the appeals process is completed, the Illinois Department of Revenue establishes a tentative and then a final multiplier, which is a factor applied to taxes to balance new rates across adjoining counties. 

After the state issues a final multiplier, the assessments move to the office of Monroe County Clerk Jonathan McLean, where tax rates for individual tax districts are determined. 

Once bills are calculated, they are printed and mailed by the treasurer’s office. 

To contact the assessor’s office, call 618-939-8681, ext. 211.  

The Monroe County Board received its financial report for the first quarter of the current fiscal year during Monday’s meeting. 

Monroe County Treasurer Kevin Koenigstein said the county is on pace to see budget revenues and expenses balance closely.  Revenues are projected to be $8,977,351.00 against expenses of $8,957,813.50.  

He noted variances in timing of actual figures due to the scheduling of expenses and receipt of various revenues – including the fact real estate property taxes, which comprise some 30 percent of the county’s budget – do not start to come in until the third and fourth quarters. 

Monroe County Public Safety Director Kevin Scheibe advised the board that new state guidelines for the 9-1-1 Board require a 15th member to be chosen from the citizenry at large in addition to the present board members from governments, fire, and police departments. The 9-1-1 Board has grown over the past four decades to meet an expanding mission, Scheibe told commissioners.

The board also discussed details of a household hazardous waste collection slated for May 22 at the Monroe County Fairgrounds.  It will be open to all Illinois residents and is for household hazardous wastes only – not those from businesses, farms or industrial or municipality wastes.  They will include such things as oil-based paints, pool chemicals, household batteries and old gasoline. 

Monroe County Board Chairman Vickie Koerber said the collection has been a work in progress for five years to get state support and has been driven largely by Columbia’s Sue Spargo.

Natalie Kawalec, Operations Director for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children in Southwestern Illinois, was given permission to plant an estimated 50 purple pinwheels around the courthouse in April in honor of National Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month.

CASA includes hundreds of trained volunteers who are appointed by judges to advocate for abused or neglected children.  

Resolutions reappointing Pat Wetzel of Waterloo to the Farmland Assessment Review Committee and Joann Hartman of Waterloo to the Monroe County Regional Planning Commission were approved unanimously.

The next Monroe County Board meeting takes place 8:15 a.m. April 5 at the courthouse.