Duties of the County Treasurer

The Illinois Constitution provides that each county shall elect a treasurer.  State law requires that “He shall receive and safely keep the revenues and other public moneys of the county, and all money and funds authorized by law to be paid to him, and disburse the same pursuant to law.”

The Treasurer’s Office receives all of the revenue for county government, including various taxes, fees, reimbursements and fines.  All funds received are properly accounted for and deposited in various financial institutions to ensure that the money is safe, secure and available for disbursement when needed.  The final objective is to invest the money in a prudent manner such that it will earn interest.  The Boone County Treasurer’s investment portfolio contains about $20 million in over a dozen financial institutions.  The bulk of the county’s money is deposited in local banks, contributing to the health of the local economy.

The other major role of the county treasurer is to collect property taxes and distribute the funds to the various taxing districts in the county.  Each year, over $94 million is collected from over 24,000 parcels of real estate and distributed to about fifty local taxing districts.  The process involves mailing tax bills, recording and depositing tax payments, mailing delinquency notices, publishing delinquent parcels and conducting the annual tax sale on delinquent parcels.

In Boone County, the Treasurer’s Office is also tasked with:

·         Oversight of the county’s general ledger and financial software

·         Posting invoices received by all county departments to accounts payable

·         Posting payroll to the general ledger

·         Working with the county’s independent auditor on all financial matters

·         Collecting the 1% Food and Beverage Tax for the Community Building Complex