Shelby Co. (ECWd) –
Last year, I asked Shelby County Board member Tricia Miller about her residency because we had been informed by numerous sources that she had moved and was no longer living in the district she represents. The response I received was a denial with a remark of “you want to see my water bill”?
A water bill does not establish residency, but since she raised the issue, her water bills reflect a pattern of water penalties and delinquent charges over the last two years. If a county board member can’t manage a water bill, should they be part of the management of millions of taxpayer dollars? Water bills are interesting, but they have nothing to do with residency.
According to the Jasper County Supervisor of Assessments, the owner of parcel number 90-07-35-300-067, owned by MILLER JACOB & TRICIA & DONA, SANDRA, 10110 N 1000TH, NEWTON, IL 62448, will, in fact, receive the Owner-Occupied Homestead exemption for the 2026 property tax cycle, payable in 2027. The reason they will not receive that exemption for 2025 is that the move-in date was April 27th, 2025. There is no Owner-Occupied Homestead Exemption for the 2025 payable 2026 tax year since the residence was not occupied as of January 1, 2025.
“Good morning,
For this PIN, 90-07-35-300-067, the Owner-Occupied Homestead Exemption will be applied for the 2026 payable 2027 tax year. This is due to a move-in date of April 27th, 2025. There is no Owner-Occupied Homestead Exemption for the 2025 payable 2026 tax year since the residence was not occupied as of January 1, 2025. Let us know if you have any further questions. (emphasis added)
Thanks,
Amy Emmerich
Jasper County Assessment Office
618-783-8042″
According to the Supervisor of Assessments in Jasper County, as of April 27, 2025, Miller moved into her new home in Jasper County, just as numerous people had tipped us off about.
With a move-in date in Jasper County of April 27, 2025, would her Statement of Economic Interest filing signed April 30, 2025, be a fraudulent representation? The SEI indicates a Windsor residency, which is in Shelby County, even though Jasper County officials indicate otherwise.
Can a resident of Jasper County vote in Shelby County? According to Shelby County records provided, Miller did, in fact, vote in the 2026 primary even though she was not a resident of the county. Would voting in one county while receiving an owner-occupied homestead exemption in another county constitute voter fraud or property tax fraud? You can’t have both.
We knew the answer to our question when we asked her last year but chose to wait and see just how far she would push her claim of being a resident of Shelby County. Our Freedom of Information Act request for her SEI and voting record on April 9th appears to have triggered her April 13th, 2026, resignation from the county board.
Miller’s resignation letter claims now is the time for her to refocus her energy on her family and the life they have ahead.
“From: Shelby County District 7 – Tricia Miller <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2026 9:40 PM
To: Shelby County Board Chair – Tad Mayhall <[email protected]>
Subject: Thanks!
Please consider this my resignation from the Shelby County Board. I appreciate the opportunity to serve my community in this capacity, and I will be forever thankful for the time on the board. I’ve seen a resurgence of humanity in our county, and I feel that it is in good hands with a bright future. Now is the time for me to refocus my energy to my family and the life we have ahead.
Thank you again.
Respectfully,
Tricia Miller”
Considering a property tax exemption is being applied to her Jasper County property taxes for 2026, it appears, based on 10 ILCS 5/25-2(4), there was no need to resign because the law indicates her position became vacant upon ceasing to be an inhabitant of the district.
(10 ILCS 5/25-2) (from Ch. 46, par. 25-2)
Sec. 25-2. Events on which an elective office becomes vacant. Every elective office shall become vacant on the happening of any of the following events before the expiration of the term of such office:
(1) The death of the incumbent.
(2) His or her resignation.
(3) His or her becoming a person under legal disability.
(4) His or her ceasing to be an inhabitant of the State; or if the office is local, his or her ceasing to be an inhabitant of the district, county, town, or precinct for which he or she was elected; provided, that the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to township officers whose township boundaries are changed in accordance with Section 10-20 of the Township Code, to a township officer after disconnection as set forth in Section 15-17 of the Township Code, nor to township or multi-township assessors elected under Sections 2-5 through 2-15 of the Property Tax Code.
With her cries about “humanity” at every meeting before being elected to now claim she sees a “resurgence of humanity” is nothing short of lip service. She moved out of the county and chose to ignore the law. She voted in a county in which she was no longer a resident, she attended and voted in numerous county board meetings even though she was no longer a resident of the county for almost a full year, filed an SEI that indicated a residency address that was not true when compared to information from Jasper County, and now she points to humanity in her resignation letter?
A criminal complaint for investigation into her actions is in order, in our opinion.
