Property tax bills found

DIXON -- The bad news is, the bills are in the mail. The good news is, the bills are in the mail. Take your pick. Lee County's lost property tax bills have been found after almost a week and a half. All should be delivered by today. Lee County Treasurer John Fritts said a representative with U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Geneva, told him over the weekend that the bills had been found. "Oh, man, it made my day," Fritts said. "With the due date of June 27, we had to get them in the mail by [today] to give the taxpayers 30 days." Apparently, the bills were forwarded to a mail processing center in Chicago, when they should have been returned to Dixon after being sorted in Rockford, said Tim Ratliff, of the U.S. Postal Service's Northern Illinois District. "... This was a rare occurrence for something like this to happen, and we apologize for any inconvenience," he said. Ratliff would not say whether the mistake was human or computer error. Reach Chase Castle at 815-284-2222 or 800-798-4085, ext. 521.