You’re enjoying a well-deserved, long Labor Day weekend, cooking out on the grill, spending some time with the family, just beginning to relax when — BAM! — it hits you.

“Egads!” you say, instantly conjuring an image of the Snidely Whiplash character in the old Dudley Do-Right cartoons on the Rocky & Bullwinkle show. “My property tax bill is due!”

Yes it is, Nell, and if you haven’t already turned it in by now, you should know that Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, is your last chance.

“What do you mean by last chance?” you say?

Well, it’s not exactly a last chance. You can pay after Sept. 2, obviously, but there are penalties. If you look at the back of your tax bill, you’ll see the fine print.

“Installments not paid by the due dates require 1.5 percent penalty to be added per month,” it says. “We do not hold post-dated checks, nor can we accept partial payments. Parts of a month are compiled as a whole month, until paid. Delinquent taxes will be published about 25 days after the second due date.

“Additional costs and interest are added after Tax Sale or forfeiture. A charge of $30 will be added for all payments returned to us by a financial institution and payment will be voided.

Furthermore …

“Payments of this bill on or after Oct. 3, 2014, requires an additional $10 publication fee. Payments after Oct. 17 must be with cashiers check, money order or cash (no business or personal checks.) The last day to pay is by close of business, 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 24. Tax sale will take place on Oct. 27.

“Failure to receive a tax bill or receiving one late, for any reason, will not relieve the taxpayer from paying taxes or late penalties.”

So, there you have it. The best course of action is to be a Dudley Do-Right and get your tax payment over to the Kane County Government center, pronto.

Taxpayers can make payment by:

• Mailing the payment with coupon to the Treasurer’s Office, in the envelope provided,

• Making the payment with coupon at any one of the designated banks within Kane County on or before the due date,

• Making the payment with coupon during business hours in the Treasurer’s Office (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – Monday through Friday except holidays),

• Dropping the payment with coupon in the property tax drop box, which is available 24 hours a day.  The drop box is located behind Building A at the Government Center in Geneva, IL.

• Credit card or E-check over the Internet.  Please note there are convenience fees for both of these services. Additional information is available on the Treasurer’s Office website: KaneCountyTreasurer.org.