State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
Legislation

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90_HB1513enr

      35 ILCS 200/15-170
          Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that once a person
      qualifies for the Senior  Citizens  Homestead  Exemption  the
      person  need not reapply for the exemption. Provides that the
      exemption shall then automatically be granted so long as  the
      qualified person continues to occupy the residence or, if the
      qualified  person  moves  into  a facility licensed under the
      Nursing Home Care Act, so long  as   the  qualified  person's
      spouse   occupies  the residence if the spouse is 65 or older
      or, if the residence  remains  unoccupied,  so  long  as  the
      person  qualified  still  owns the residence. Deletes current
      provisions regarding annual filing. Effective immediately.
                                                     LRB9004723KDcc
HB1513 Enrolled                                LRB9004723KDcc
 1        AN ACT  to  amend  the  Property  Tax  Code  by  changing
 2    Sections 15-170 and 30-25.
 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section 5.  The Property Tax Code is amended by  changing
 6    Sections 15-170 and 30-25 as follows:
 7        (35 ILCS 200/15-170)
 8        Sec.  15-170.   Senior  Citizens Homestead Exemption.  An
 9    annual homestead exemption limited, except as described  here
10    with  relation  to  cooperatives,  to a maximum reduction set
11    forth below from  the  property's  value,  as   equalized  or
12    assessed  by  the Department, is granted for property that is
13    occupied as a residence by a person 65 years of age or  older
14    who  is  liable  for paying real estate taxes on the property
15    and is an owner of record of the property or has a  legal  or
16    equitable   interest   therein  as  evidenced  by  a  written
17    instrument, except for a leasehold  interest,  other  than  a
18    leasehold interest of land on which a single family residence
19    is  located,  which is occupied as a residence by a person 65
20    years or older who has an ownership interest therein,  legal,
21    equitable  or  as  a lessee, and on which he or she is liable
22    for the payment of  property  taxes.  The  maximum  reduction
23    shall   be   $2,500   in  counties  with  3,000,000  or  more
24    inhabitants and $2,000  in  all  other  counties.   For  land
25    improved  with  an apartment building owned and operated as a
26    cooperative or a building which is a life care facility which
27    shall  be  considered  to  be  a  cooperative,  the   maximum
28    reduction from the value of the property, as equalized by the
29    Department,  shall  be multiplied by the number of apartments
30    or units occupied by a person 65 years of age or older who is
31    liable, by contract with the owner or owners of  record,  for
HB1513 Enrolled             -2-                LRB9004723KDcc
 1    paying  property  taxes  on  the  property and is an owner of
 2    record of a legal or equitable interest  in  the  cooperative
 3    apartment  building,  other  than  a leasehold interest. In a
 4    cooperative where a homestead  exemption  has  been  granted,
 5    the  cooperative  association  or  its  management firm shall
 6    credit the savings resulting from that exemption only to  the
 7    apportioned  tax liability of the owner who qualified for the
 8    exemption.  Any person who willfully refuses to so credit the
 9    savings shall be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor. Under  this
10    Section  and  Section  15-175,  "life  care facility" means a
11    facility as defined in Section 2 of the Life Care  Facilities
12    Act, with which the applicant for the homestead exemption has
13    a  life  care contract as defined in that Act, which requires
14    the applicant to pay property taxes.
15        When a homestead exemption has been  granted  under  this
16    Section  and  the  person  qualifying  subsequently becomes a
17    resident of a facility licensed under the Nursing  Home  Care
18    Act,  the  exemption  shall continue so long as the residence
19    continues to be occupied by the qualifying person's spouse if
20    the spouse is 65 years of age or older, or if  the  residence
21    remains unoccupied but is still owned by the person qualified
22    for the homestead exemption.
23        A  person  who will be 65 years of age during the current
24    assessment year shall be eligible to apply for the  homestead
25    exemption  during that assessment year.  Application shall be
26    made during the application period in effect for  the  county
27    of his residence.
28        The  assessor  or  chief  county  assessment  officer may
29    determine the eligibility of a life care facility to  receive
30    the   benefits   provided  by  this  Section,  by  affidavit,
31    application,  visual  inspection,  questionnaire   or   other
32    reasonable  methods  in  order to insure that the tax savings
33    resulting from the exemption are credited by  the  management
34    firm  to  the  apportioned  tax  liability of each qualifying
HB1513 Enrolled             -3-                LRB9004723KDcc
 1    resident.  The assessor may request reasonable proof that the
 2    management firm has so credited the exemption.
 3        The chief county assessment officer of each  county  with
 4    less  than 3,000,000 inhabitants shall provide to each person
 5    allowed a homestead exemption under this Section  a  form  to
 6    designate  any  other  person  to  receive a duplicate of any
 7    notice of delinquency in the payment of  taxes  assessed  and
 8    levied  under  this  Code  on  the  property  of  the  person
 9    receiving  the  exemption.  The duplicate notice  shall be in
10    addition to the notice required to be provided to the  person
11    receiving  the  exemption,  and  shall be given in the manner
12    required by this Code.  The person filing the request for the
13    duplicate  notice  shall  pay  a   fee   of   $5   to   cover
14    administrative  costs  to  the supervisor of assessments, who
15    shall then file the  executed  designation  with  the  county
16    collector.   Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code
17    to the contrary, the filing of such an  executed  designation
18    requires the county collector to provide duplicate notices as
19    indicated by the designation.  A designation may be rescinded
20    by  the  person who executed such designation at any time, in
21    the manner and form required by the chief  county  assessment
22    officer.
23        The  assessor  or  chief  county  assessment  officer may
24    determine the eligibility of residential property to  receive
25    the   homestead   exemption   provided  by  this  Section  by
26    application,  visual  inspection,  questionnaire   or   other
27    reasonable  methods.   The  determination  shall  be  made in
28    accordance with guidelines established by the Department.
29        In counties with less  than  3,000,000  inhabitants,  the
30    county  board  may by resolution provide that if a person has
31    been granted a homestead exemption under  this  Section,  the
32    person qualifying need not reapply for the exemption.
33        In  counties with less than 3,000,000 inhabitants, if the
34    assessor or chief county assessment officer  requires  annual
HB1513 Enrolled             -4-                LRB9004723KDcc
 1    application  for verification of eligibility for an exemption
 2    once granted under this Section,  the  application  shall  be
 3    mailed to the taxpayer.
 4        The  assessor  or  chief  county assessment officer shall
 5    notify each person who qualifies for an exemption under  this
 6    Section that the person may also qualify for deferral of real
 7    estate  taxes  under  the  Senior  Citizens  Real  Estate Tax
 8    Deferral Act.  The notice shall set forth the  qualifications
 9    needed  for  deferral  of  real estate taxes, the address and
10    telephone number of county collector, and  a  statement  that
11    applications  for  deferral  of  real  estate  taxes  may  be
12    obtained from the county collector.
13    (Source: P.A. 88-455; 89-412, eff. 11-17-95.)
14        (35 ILCS 200/30-25)
15        Sec. 30-25.  Distributions from account.
16        (a)   At the direction of the corporate  authorities of a
17    taxing  district, the treasurer of the taxing district  shall
18    disburse the amounts held in the tax  reimbursement  account.
19    Unless the taxing district has divided the moneys as provided
20    in  subsection (b), disbursements shall be made to all of the
21    owners  of  taxable  homestead  property  within  the  taxing
22    district.  Each owner of  taxable  homestead  property  shall
23    receive a proportionate share of the total disbursement based
24    on  the  amount  of  ad  valorem  taxes  on taxable homestead
25    property paid by the owner to the taxing district  under  the
26    most recent tax bill.
27        (b)  The  corporate  authorities of a taxing district may
28    direct the treasurer to divide the moneys deposited into  the
29    account  into 2 separate pools to be designated the homestead
30    property pool and the commercial or industrial property pool.
31    The amount to be deposited into each pool shall be determined
32    by the corporate authorities of the taxing  district,  except
33    that  at  least  50%  of  the  moneys in the account shall be
HB1513 Enrolled             -5-                LRB9004723KDcc
 1    deposited into the homestead  property  pool.  The  treasurer
 2    shall    disburse  the  amounts  held in each pool in the tax
 3    reimbursement account  at  the  direction  of  the  corporate
 4    authorities.   Disbursements from the homestead property pool
 5    shall be made to all  of  the  owners  of  taxable  homestead
 6    property  within  the taxing district.  Each owner of taxable
 7    homestead property shall receive a proportionate share of the
 8    total disbursement from the pool based on the  amount  of  ad
 9    valorem taxes on taxable homestead property paid by the owner
10    to  the  taxing  district  under  the  most  recent tax bill.
11    Disbursements from the commercial or industrial property pool
12    shall be made to all of the owners of taxable  commercial  or
13    industrial  property,  except  those owners whose property is
14    located within a tax increment financing  district  or  those
15    owners whose property is classified as an apartment building.
16    Each  eligible  owner  of  taxable  commercial  or industrial
17    property shall receive a proportionate  share  of  the  total
18    disbursement  from the pool based on the amount of ad valorem
19    taxes on taxable commercial or industrial  property  paid  by
20    the  owner  to  the taxing district under the most recent tax
21    bill.
22        (c)  In determining the proportionate share of each owner
23    of homestead property, the numerator shall be the  amount  of
24    taxes  on homestead property paid by that owner to the taxing
25    district under the most recent tax bill, and the  denominator
26    shall  be  the  aggregate  total  of  all  taxes on homestead
27    property paid by all owners to the taxing district under  the
28    most recent tax bills.
29        (d)  In determining the proportionate share of each owner
30    of  commercial or industrial property, the numerator shall be
31    the amount of taxes on commercial or industrial property paid
32    by that owner to the taxing district under  the  most  recent
33    tax bill, and the denominator shall be the aggregate total of
34    all  taxes  on  commercial or industrial property paid by all
HB1513 Enrolled             -6-                LRB9004723KDcc
 1    owners to the taxing district under the most recent tax bills
 2    less taxes paid on commercial or industrial property  located
 3    in  a  tax  increment financing district and taxes paid on an
 4    apartment building.
 5    (Source: P.A. 87-737; 87-767; 88-455.)
 6        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect  upon
 7    becoming law.

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