CROWN POINT | Lake County Treasurer John Petalas alerted local homeowners their provisional property tax bills are due today at the close of business.

Tax payments can be made from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. today at the treasurer's offices at the Lake County Government Complex, 2293 N. Main St., Crown Point; the Gary courthouse, 15 W. Fourth Ave., Gary; and the Hammond Courthouse, 232 Russell St., Hammond -- or at any county bank branch office during regular banking hours.

"Most people appear to be paying at their banks because we have no lines of taxpayers in our offices," Petalas said.

Petalas said he still cannot predict when the second, final bills will be mailed because of delays arising from a struggle between state and local officials in completing complex calculations.

There are still no tax rates available for this year.

County officials previously mailed tax bills in spring and fall installments until the state overhauled its property tax assessment system, but hundreds of frustrated taxpayers were forced late last December to wait outside the Lake County treasurer's offices in one line to obtain tax bills that didn't arrive until Christmas. They then had to wait in another long line to pay the bills.