HB5015 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB095 17815 BDD 43894 b

95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB5015

Introduced , by Rep. George Scully, Jr.

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

35 ILCS 200/12-20
35 ILCS 200/12-30

Amends the Property Tax Code. In a Section concerning the publication of assessments in counties of 3,000,000 or more, sets forth the form of a notice that must be printed at the top of the list of assessments. Requires counties of 3,000,000 or more to mail notices of changed assessments to residential taxpayers. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

HOUSING AFFORDABILITY IMPACT NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning revenue.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Property Tax Code is amended by changing Sections 12-20 and 12-30 as follows:

(35 ILCS 200/12-20)

Sec. 12-20. Publication of assessments; counties of 3,000,000 or more. In counties with 3,000,000 or more inhabitants, in each year of a general assessment, for each county or assessment district therein if the county is divided into assessment districts as provided in Section 9-220, the county assessor shall publish a complete assessment list as soon as the assessment is completed as required under this Section. If the county assessor revises the assessment after the complete assessment list is published, then the county assessor must publish a subsequent list of all the revised assessments for that year. In years other than years of a general assessment or reassessment, the county assessor shall cause to be published, within the time and in the manner described here, a complete list of assessments in which changes are made together with the changes made in the valuation or assessment of property since the last preceding assessment. The publication shall contain a copy of the land value map for the township, if required by the Department.

At the top of the list of assessments there shall be a notice in substantially the following form printed in type no smaller than eleven point:

"NOTICE TO TAXPAYERS

Median Level of Assessment--(insert here the median level of assessment for the assessment district)

Your property is to be assessed at the above listed median level of assessment for the assessment district. You may check the accuracy of your assessment by dividing your assessment by the median level of assessment. The resulting value should equal the estimated fair cash value of your property. If the resulting value is greater than the estimated fair cash value of your property, you may be over-assessed. If the resulting value is less than the fair cash value of your property, you may be under-assessed. You may appeal your assessment to the Board of Review."

The publication of the assessments or the changes shall be printed in some newspaper or newspapers of general circulation published in the county except that, in every township or incorporated town which has superseded a civil township, in which there is published one or more newspapers of general circulation, the assessment list of each township shall be published in one of the newspapers. In cities of more than 2,000,000 inhabitants, the assessment list of the city shall be printed in one or more newspapers of general circulation published in the township assessment district within the city or, in the event a newspaper of general circulation is not published within the township assessment district, in one or more newspapers of general circulation published within the city.

Any newspaper publishing an assessment list under this Section is entitled to a fee of 40¢ per column line for publishing the list.

(Source: P.A. 93-759, eff. 1-1-05.)

(35 ILCS 200/12-30)

Sec. 12-30. Mailed notice of changed assessments; counties of less than 3,000,000. In each every county with less than 3,000,000 inhabitants, in addition to the publication of the list of assessments in each year of a general assessment and of the list of property for which assessments have been added or changed, as provided above, a notice shall be mailed by the chief county assessment officer to each taxpayer whose assessment has been changed since the last preceding assessment, using the address as it appears on the assessor's records, except in the case of changes caused by a change in the county equalization factor by the Department or in the case of changes resulting from equalization by the chief county assessment officer supervisor of assessments under Section 9-210, during any year such change is made. In counties with 3,000,000 or more inhabitants, the notice under this Section is required to be sent only to residential taxpayers. The notice may, but need not be, sent by a township assessor. The notice shall include the median level of assessment in the assessment district (as determined by the most recent 3 year assessment to sales ratio study adjusted to take into account any changes in assessment levels since the data for the studies were collected), the previous year's assessed value after board of review equalization, current assessed value and, in bold type, a notice of possible eligibility for a homestead improvement exemption as provided in Section 15-180.

The notice shall include a statement in substantially the following form:

"NOTICE TO TAXPAYER

Your property is to be assessed at the median level of assessment for your assessment district. You may check the accuracy of your assessment by dividing your assessment by the median level of assessment for your assessment district. If the resulting value is greater than the estimated fair cash value of your property, you may be over-assessed. If the resulting value is less than the estimated fair cash value of your property, you may be under-assessed. You may appeal your assessment to the Board of Review in the manner described elsewhere in this notice."

The notice shall contain a brief explanation of the relationship between the assessment and the tax bill (including an explanation of the equalization factors) and an explanation that the assessment stated for the preceding year is the assessment after equalization by the board of review in the preceding year, and shall set forth the procedures and time limits for appealing assessments and the applicable level of assessments, and state that assessments of property, other than farm land and coal, are required by law to be 33 1/3% of value. Where practicable, the notice shall include the reason for any increase in the property's valuation. The notice must also state the name and price per copy by mail of the newspaper in which the list of assessments will be published. The form and manner of providing the information and explanations required to be in the notice shall be prescribed by the Department.

(Source: P.A. 87-1189; 88-455; incorporates 88-321; 88-670, eff. 12-2-94.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.