Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said she was gratified that the Cook County Board of Commissioners today approved her suggestion to waive late penalties for two months on property tax bills scheduled to be due August 3.

"Homeowners and business owners are financially stressed because of the pandemic, and the County Board's action will give them two extra months to get their finances together and pay by October 1 without incurring late-payment charges," Pappas said.

On April 29, Pappas wrote Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the Board's 17 commissioners to urge them to waive penalties of 1.5 percent per month for two months as "a form of relief for our people” because “too many are jobless" and fear losing their homes. The Board approved Pappas' request at its virtual meeting today.

Pappas' Office is to begin printing the Second Installment property tax bills for Tax Year 2019 in mid-June. The bills will be mailed to property owners at the beginning of July, but will be posted at cookcountytreasurer.com almost two weeks before they arrive in the mail.

"Unusual times demand extraordinary efforts from government to help people see what's coming and then help them handle it," Pappas said. "We're doing both by waiving penalties and showing taxpayers the bills before they’re even mailed."