Sen. Jim Oberweis

Filed: 5/30/2019

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 1061

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 1061 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The Open Meetings Act is amended by changing
5Section 3 as follows:
 
6    (5 ILCS 120/3)  (from Ch. 102, par. 43)
7    Sec. 3. (a) Where the provisions of this Act are not
8complied with, or where there is probable cause to believe that
9the provisions of this Act will not be complied with, any
10person, including the State's Attorney of the county in which
11such noncompliance may occur, may bring a civil action in the
12circuit court for the judicial circuit in which the alleged
13noncompliance has occurred or is about to occur, or in which
14the affected public body has its principal office, prior to or
15within 60 days of the meeting alleged to be in violation of
16this Act or, if facts concerning the meeting are not discovered

 

 

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1within the 60-day period, within 60 days of the discovery of a
2violation by the State's Attorney or, if the person timely
3files a request for review under Section 3.5, within 60 days of
4the decision by the Attorney General to resolve a request for
5review by a means other than the issuance of a binding opinion
6under subsection (e) of Section 3.5.
7    Records that are obtained by a State's Attorney from a
8public body for purposes of reviewing whether the public body
9has complied with this Act may not be disclosed to the public.
10Those records, while in the possession of the State's Attorney,
11are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information
12Act.
13    (b) In deciding such a case the court may examine in camera
14any portion of the minutes of a meeting at which a violation of
15the Act is alleged to have occurred, and may take such
16additional evidence as it deems necessary.
17    (c) The court, having due regard for orderly administration
18and the public interest, as well as for the interests of the
19parties, may grant such relief as it deems appropriate,
20including granting a relief by mandamus requiring that a
21meeting be open to the public, granting an injunction against
22future violations of this Act, ordering the public body to make
23available to the public such portion of the minutes of a
24meeting as is not authorized to be kept confidential under this
25Act, or declaring null and void any final action taken at a
26closed meeting in violation of this Act.

 

 

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1    (c-5) If the court determines that a public body has
2willfully and intentionally failed to comply with this Act or
3has otherwise acted in bad faith, the court may also impose
4upon the public body a civil penalty of not less than $200 for
5the first violation, $500 for the second violation, and $1,000
6for each subsequent violation. In assessing the civil penalty
7under this subsection, the court may consider in aggravation or
8mitigation the budget of the public body and whether the public
9body has previously been assessed penalties for a violation of
10this Act.
11    (d) The court may assess against any party, except a
12State's Attorney, reasonable attorney's fees and other
13litigation costs reasonably incurred by any other party who
14substantially prevails in any action brought in accordance with
15this Section, provided that costs may be assessed against any
16private party or parties bringing an action pursuant to this
17Section only upon the court's determination that the action is
18malicious or frivolous in nature.
19(Source: P.A. 99-714, eff. 8-5-16.)
 
20    Section 10. The Property Tax Code is amended by changing
21Sections 12-10, 12-30, 18-75, and 27-30 as follows:
 
22    (35 ILCS 200/12-10)
23    Sec. 12-10. Publication of assessments; counties of less
24than 3,000,000.

 

 

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1    (a) In counties with less than 3,000,000 inhabitants, as
2soon as the chief county assessment officer has completed the
3assessment in the county or in the assessment district, he or
4she shall, in each year of a general assessment, publish for
5the county or assessment district a complete list of the
6assessment, by townships if so organized. In years other than
7years of a general assessment, the chief county assessment
8officer shall publish a list of property for which assessments
9have been added or changed since the preceding assessment,
10together with the amounts of the assessments, except that
11publication of individual assessment changes shall not be
12required if the changes result from equalization by the
13supervisor of assessments under Section 9-210, or Section
1410-200, in which case the list shall include a general
15statement indicating that assessments have been changed
16because of the application of an equalization factor and shall
17set forth the percentage of increase or decrease represented by
18the factor. The publication shall be made on or before December
1931 of that year, and shall be printed in some public newspaper
20or newspapers published in the county. In every township or
21assessment district in which there is published one or more
22newspapers of general circulation, the list of that township
23shall be published in one of the newspapers.
24    (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for each
25parcel for which an individual notification meeting the
26requirements of Section 12-30 was mailed to the taxpayer,

 

 

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1publication of an individual listing of assessment in a
2newspaper of general circulation is not required beginning with
3the 2020 valuation year, so long as the list as described in
4subsection (a) above is published on a county-controlled
5website.
6    (c) At the top of the list of assessments there shall be a
7notice in substantially the following form printed in type no
8smaller than eleven point:
9
"NOTICE TO TAXPAYERS
10    Median Level of Assessment--(insert here the median level
11of assessment for the assessment district)
12    Your property is to be assessed at the above listed median
13level of assessment for the assessment district. You may check
14the accuracy of your assessment by dividing your assessment by
15the median level of assessment. The resulting value should
16equal the estimated fair cash value of your property. If the
17resulting value is greater than the estimated fair cash value
18of your property, you may be over-assessed. If the resulting
19value is less than the fair cash value of your property, you
20may be under-assessed. You may appeal your assessment to the
21Board of Review."
22    (d) The notice published under this Section shall also
23include the following:
24        (1) A statement advising the taxpayer that assessments
25    of property, other than farm land and coal, are required by
26    law to be assessed at 33 1/3% of fair market value.

 

 

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1        (2) The name, address, phone number, office hours, and,
2    if one exists, the website address of the assessor.
3        (3) A statement advising the taxpayer of the steps to
4    follow if the taxpayer believes the full fair market value
5    of the property is incorrect or believes the assessment is
6    not uniform with other comparable properties in the same
7    neighborhood. The statement shall also (i) advise all
8    taxpayers to contact the township assessor's office, in
9    those counties under township organization, first to
10    review the assessment, (ii) advise all taxpayers to file an
11    appeal with the board of review if not satisfied with the
12    assessor review, and (iii) give the phone number to call
13    for a copy of the board of review rules; if the Board of
14    Review maintains a web site, the notice must also include
15    the address of the website where the Board of Review rules
16    can be viewed.
17        (4) A statement advising the taxpayer that there is a
18    deadline date for filing an appeal with the board of review
19    and indicating that deadline date (30 days following the
20    scheduled publication date).
21        (5) A brief explanation of the relationship between the
22    assessment and the tax bill.
23        (6) In bold type, a notice of possible eligibility for
24    the various homestead exemptions as provided in Section
25    15-165 through Section 15-175 and Section 15-180.
26    (e) The newspaper shall furnish to the local assessment

 

 

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1officers as many copies of the paper containing the assessment
2list as they may require.
3(Source: P.A. 97-146, eff. 7-14-11.)
 
4    (35 ILCS 200/12-30)
5    Sec. 12-30. Mailed notice of changed assessments; counties
6of less than 3,000,000.
7    (a) In every county with less than 3,000,000 inhabitants,
8in addition to the publication of the list of assessments in
9each year of a general assessment and of the list of property
10for which assessments have been added or changed, as provided
11above, a notice shall be mailed by the chief county assessment
12officer to each taxpayer whose assessment has been changed
13since the last preceding assessment, using the address as it
14appears on the assessor's records, except in the case of
15changes caused by a change in the county equalization factor by
16the Department or in the case of changes resulting from
17equalization by the chief county assessment officer under
18Section 9-210, during any year such change is made. The notice
19may, but need not be, sent by a township assessor.
20    (b) The notice sent under this Section shall include the
21following:
22        (1) The previous year's assessed value after board of
23    review equalization.
24        (2) Current assessed value and the date of that
25    valuation.

 

 

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1        (3) The percentage change from the previous assessed
2    value to the current assessed value.
3        (4) The full fair market value (as indicated by
4    dividing the current assessed value by the median level of
5    assessment in the assessment district as determined by the
6    most recent 3 year assessment to sales ratio study adjusted
7    to take into account any changes in assessment levels since
8    the data for the studies were collected).
9        (5) A statement advising the taxpayer that assessments
10    of property, other than farm land and coal, are required by
11    law to be assessed at 33 1/3% of fair market value.
12        (6) The name, address, phone number, office hours, and,
13    if one exists, the website address of the assessor.
14        (7) Where practicable, the notice shall include the
15    reason for any increase in the property's valuation.
16        (8) The name and price per copy by mail of the
17    newspaper in which the list of assessments will be
18    published and the scheduled publication date.
19        (9) A statement advising the taxpayer of the steps to
20    follow if the taxpayer believes the full fair market value
21    of the property is incorrect or believes the assessment is
22    not uniform with other comparable properties in the same
23    neighborhood. The statement shall also (i) advise all
24    taxpayers to contact the township assessor's office, in
25    those counties under township organization, first to
26    review the assessment, (ii) advise all taxpayers to file an

 

 

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1    appeal with the board of review if not satisfied with the
2    assessor review, and (iii) give the phone number to call
3    for a copy of the board of review rules.
4        (10) A statement advising the taxpayer that there is a
5    deadline date for filing an appeal with the board of review
6    and indicating that deadline date (30 days following the
7    scheduled publication date).
8        (11) A brief explanation of the relationship between
9    the assessment and the tax bill (including an explanation
10    of the equalization factors) and an explanation that the
11    assessment stated for the preceding year is the assessment
12    after equalization by the board of review in the preceding
13    year.
14        (12) In bold type, a notice of possible eligibility for
15    the various homestead exemptions as provided in Section
16    15-165 through Section 15-175 and Section 15-180.
17    (c) In addition to the requirements of subsection (b) of
18this Section, in every county with less than 3,000,000
19inhabitants, where the chief county assessment officer
20maintains and controls an electronic database containing the
21physical characteristics of the property, the notice shall
22include the following:
23        (1) The physical characteristics of the taxpayer's
24    property that are available from that database; or
25        (2) A statement advising the taxpayer that detailed
26    property characteristics are available on the county

 

 

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1    website and the URL address of that website.
2    (d) In addition to the requirements of subsection (b) of
3this Section, in every county with less than 3,000,000
4inhabitants, where the chief county assessment officer does not
5maintain and control an electronic database containing the
6physical characteristics of the property, and where one or more
7townships in the county maintain and control an electronic
8database containing the physical characteristics of the
9property and some or all of the database is available on a
10website that is maintained and controlled by the township, the
11notice shall include a statement advising the taxpayer that
12detailed property characteristics are available on the
13township website and the URL address of that website.
14    (e) Except as provided in this Section, the form and manner
15of providing the information and explanations required to be in
16the notice shall be prescribed by the Department.
17(Source: P.A. 96-122, eff. 1-1-10.)
 
18    (35 ILCS 200/18-75)
19    Sec. 18-75. Notice; place of publication. If the taxing
20district is located entirely in one county, the notice shall be
21published in an English language newspaper of general
22circulation published in the taxing district, or if there is no
23such newspaper, in an English language newspaper of general
24circulation published in the county and having circulation in
25the taxing district.

 

 

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1    If the taxing district is located primarily in one county
2but extends into smaller portions of adjoining counties, the
3notice shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation
4published in the taxing district, or if there is no such
5newspaper, in a newspaper of general circulation published in
6each county in which any part of the district is located.
7    If the taxing district includes all or a large portion of 2
8or more counties, the notice shall be published in a newspaper
9of general circulation published in each county in which any
10part of the district is located.
11    If a taxing district has a website maintained by the
12full-time staff of the taxing district, then the notice may
13shall be posted on the website in fulfillment of in addition to
14the other notice requirements of this Section. The failure of a
15taxing district to post the notice on its website shall not
16invalidate the notice or any action taken on the tax levy.
17(Source: P.A. 99-367, eff. 1-1-16.)
 
18    (35 ILCS 200/27-30)
19    Sec. 27-30. Manner of notice. Prior to or within 60 days
20after the adoption of the ordinance proposing the establishment
21of a special service area the municipality or county shall fix
22a time and a place for a public hearing. The public hearing
23shall be held not less than 60 days after the adoption of the
24ordinance proposing the establishment of a special service
25area. Notice of the hearing shall be given by publication and

 

 

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1mailing, except that notice of a public hearing to propose the
2establishment of a special service area for weather
3modification purposes may be given by publication only. Notice
4by publication shall be given by publication at least once not
5less than 15 days prior to the hearing in a newspaper of
6general circulation within the municipality or county or on the
7municipality's or county's website. Notice by mailing shall be
8given by depositing the notice in the United States mails
9addressed to the person or persons in whose name the general
10taxes for the last preceding year were paid on each property
11lying within the special service area. A notice shall be mailed
12not less than 10 days prior to the time set for the public
13hearing. In the event taxes for the last preceding year were
14not paid, the notice shall be sent to the person last listed on
15the tax rolls prior to that year as the owner of the property.
16(Source: P.A. 97-1053, eff. 1-1-13.)".