Tax Collector’s Books Are Digitized and About to Be Online
Kane County Clerk John A. Cunningham announced via his office’s “Up Front” newsletter that the Collectors Books from 2013 back to 1982 are digitized and saved in the secure servers of Kane County’s IT system, thus preserving them for future generations.
The project was developed to make sure that information about the taxes paid on each of the parcels in the county would be easily available to anyone needing to determine the taxes paid or the value assessed for parcels of land.
According to state statute, the Clerk’s Office is responsible for generating and maintaining the Collector Book each year. The office has these records dating back to 1881. They are preserved on a variety of formats including microfiche and microfilm. Those formats could become damaged or suffer from the effects of time, thus reducing their readability and ability to provide the information that may be needed by property owners or researchers in the future. The technology needed to view and read those formats is also becoming more difficult to maintain.
In order to preserve these important records, the Kane County Clerk’s Office sought the technology that would allow those needing the information contained in those books the ease of access and the permanent retention that current technology allows. Working back from the most recent year available, more than 246,000 pages of the books are stored into the computer systems as .PDF files that can be quickly accessed through the public PC in the clerk’s office.
Using the tier one document and retention software, Laserfiche, the books that have been digitized will soon be available online through the clerk’s website. Then as time allows, more and more years will be added.
If anyone has a need to view/print any of the pages from the collector’s books, they can simply come into the office and one of our staff can show them how to access the information, or for the fee of $2 for the first year and $1 for each year after that, the staff will do the research and print or email the required copies.
- “UP FRONT” is a bi-monthly newsletter posted on the Kane County Clerk’s website. If you prefer to receive newsletter via e mail, please contact Susan at: ericsonsusan@co.kane.il.us
Tax Searches |
En español |
When a customer requests the amount of taxes paid for previous years, there are two options:
- The customer can come to our office and search the computer and the microfiche for the taxes paid. or,
- The customer can order a tax search from the Tax Extension Department.
- The cost for the certified tax search is $2.00 for the first year and $1.00 each additional year.*
- Tax searches must be prepaid.
- A customer in person can order a tax search and make payment of cash or check and can arrange to have the search picked up or mailed.
- A request by mail must include: a check for the correct amount, the parcel number, and the address to where the search is to be mailed.
*If a customer wants the search to be faxed, the charge is $5.
The process of a tax search can take seven to 10 days.
SOURCES: “Up Front,” the Newsletter from John A. Cunningham; Kane County Clerk’s Office Website
