WOODSTOCK, IL: The McHenry County Treasurer’s Office now requires the taxpayer to be present when making large property tax payments with large sums of cash. The effective date of this new policy was June 14, 2016.

The response comes after two incidents when large property tax cash payments took valuable Treasurer’s Office administrative time to verify. Taxpayers who will make second tax payment installments need to be aware of this new policy.

“The five hours that it took for my staff member to count the cash prevented her from continuing her regular office duties,” said Glenda Miller, McHenry County Treasurer.

For the protection of both the taxpayer and the Treasurer’s Office staff, the taxpayer must remain physically present while the cash is being counted. Once the cash payment is verified, a receipt will be provided to the taxpayer as proof of payment.

The tax collection process for other taxpayers, and general office operations, will continue without disruption.

The Treasurer’s Office also accepts online tax payments on its website mchenrytreasurer.org/payments. The second tax payment installment will be September 13, 2016. Taxpayers can contact the office if they need assistance.