McHenry County officials announced on May 5 that property owners whose assessments are only adjusted by their equalization factor will no longer receive mailed copies of their assessment notices this year.
Instead, these notices will be posted online through the McHenry County property tax portal. Physical mailings will continue for properties undergoing re-evaluation, farmland, and new properties. The county said this change is expected to save taxpayers more than $65,000 annually in postage costs.
Property owners can access their assessment information by clicking the “Property Assessments Notice” link on the right-hand side of their property tax information page on computers and tablets. For mobile users, the Assessments tab is available under the three-line “hamburger” icon in the upper right corner. Instructions for using the portal are available through a video on the Assessments Office website.
The Assessments Office also offers email alerts when township assessment notices are published, which marks the start of a 30-day window for property owners wishing to challenge their assessments. Text alerts will be introduced at a later date. Questions can be directed to the office at 815-334-4290.
To help residents understand these changes and other aspects of local taxation, McHenry County Treasurer Donna Kurtz, County Clerk and Recorder Joe Tirio, and Chief Assessment Officer Alex Benitez will host a public workshop about property taxes—including details about online assessment notices—on Wednesday, May 6 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Luecht Auditorium (Building B) at McHenry County College.
In related community statistics from education data: The average student-to-teacher ratio in McHenry County was 14-to-1 during the 2022-23 school year with an enrollment of over 45,000 students across its schools; teacher absenteeism stood at just over one-third during that period; Huntley High School had both the highest enrollment of white students (2,133) and multiracial students (135), Harvard High School led in Hispanic student enrollment (574), while Harry D. Jacobs High School had the most Black students enrolled (87), according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
