Recorder of Deeds Hindered Will County Assessors
Press Release
When current Recorder of Deeds Karen Stukel executed a no-bid contract for a new software system in 2014, she negatively affected taxpayers not once, but twice. The new software system did not include the ability for township assessors to search for real estate transfer declarations, which is a key component of the property assessment process that is done every four years. That search capability had previously been available to assessors since 2008.
 
That process, called a quadrennial assessment, was due July 1, 2015. Although the new software was installed in December 2014, the assessors still did not have the tools they needed by May 2015. The township assessors informed Stukel and the county board in February 2015 of the oversight. On May 7, 2015, Stukel lied in a Will County Board Executive Committee meeting, saying that she only found out about the problem in April.
 
Also in that May 7th meeting, Stukel promised that the software module needed would be ready in 3-4 weeks for the assessors, giving them only a few weeks to complete their work. This timeline was well-documented in the Daily Southtown (Chicago Tribune), The Herald-News and Farmers Weekly Review.
 
We have obtained a document that shows that the contract to add the “Assessors Product” from Fidlar Technologies, the software vendor, was actually executed on November 10, 2015, by Stukel, nearly a full year after the initial implementation of the new software system.
 
Stukel is not a team player and does not communicate effectively with other departments and stakeholders. Now she wants a third term as Recorder. Good government is not run this way. This is another reason we should fire Karen Stukel in November.
 
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Contact: Kristin Cross for Recorder of Deeds Campaign
crossforrecorder@gmail.com
815-409-1961

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