Who pays for governmental ineptitude?

In considering that question in its many contexts, this board has focused mainly on taxpayers and understandably so. After all, they’re the ones footing the ever-growing bills for government.

But an underappreciated category of victims is fellow governments. A current stark case in point: Cook County’s failure to deliver second-installment property taxes on time — due to monumental computer glitches tied to a new system that has been delivered late and well over initial estimates — is costing some municipal bodies significantly.

Various county officials, from Assessor Fritz Kaegi to County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, have pointed fingers at each other over the snafu. At the root of the problem is a highly troubled overhaul, riddled with erro

See Full Page