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91_HB1203
LRB9105018PTpk
1 AN ACT concerning property taxes.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Property Tax Code is amended by changing
5 Section 15-170 as follows:
6 (35 ILCS 200/15-170)
7 Sec. 15-170. Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption. An
8 annual homestead exemption limited, except as described here
9 with relation to cooperatives, to a maximum reduction set
10 forth below from the property's value, as equalized or
11 assessed by the Department, is granted for property that is
12 occupied as a residence by a person 65 years of age or older
13 who is liable for paying real estate taxes on the property
14 and is an owner of record of the property or has a legal or
15 equitable interest therein as evidenced by a written
16 instrument, except for a leasehold interest, other than a
17 leasehold interest of land on which a single family residence
18 is located, which is occupied as a residence by a person 65
19 years or older who has an ownership interest therein, legal,
20 equitable or as a lessee, and on which he or she is liable
21 for the payment of property taxes. For assessment years
22 before the 1999 assessment year, the maximum reduction shall
23 be $2,500 in counties with 3,000,000 or more inhabitants and
24 $2,000 in all other counties. For the 1999 assessment year
25 and thereafter, the maximum reduction shall be $5,000 in all
26 counties. For land improved with an apartment building owned
27 and operated as a cooperative or a building which is a life
28 care facility which shall be considered to be a cooperative,
29 the maximum reduction from the value of the property, as
30 equalized by the Department, shall be multiplied by the
31 number of apartments or units occupied by a person 65 years
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1 of age or older who is liable, by contract with the owner or
2 owners of record, for paying property taxes on the property
3 and is an owner of record of a legal or equitable interest in
4 the cooperative apartment building, other than a leasehold
5 interest. In a cooperative where a homestead exemption has
6 been granted, the cooperative association or its management
7 firm shall credit the savings resulting from that exemption
8 only to the apportioned tax liability of the owner who
9 qualified for the exemption. Any person who willfully
10 refuses to so credit the savings shall be guilty of a Class B
11 misdemeanor. Under this Section and Section 15-175, "life
12 care facility" means a facility as defined in Section 2 of
13 the Life Care Facilities Act, with which the applicant for
14 the homestead exemption has a life care contract as defined
15 in that Act, which requires the applicant to pay property
16 taxes.
17 When a homestead exemption has been granted under this
18 Section and the person qualifying subsequently becomes a
19 resident of a facility licensed under the Nursing Home Care
20 Act, the exemption shall continue so long as the residence
21 continues to be occupied by the qualifying person's spouse if
22 the spouse is 65 years of age or older, or if the residence
23 remains unoccupied but is still owned by the person qualified
24 for the homestead exemption.
25 A person who will be 65 years of age during the current
26 assessment year shall be eligible to apply for the homestead
27 exemption during that assessment year. Application shall be
28 made during the application period in effect for the county
29 of his residence.
30 The assessor or chief county assessment officer may
31 determine the eligibility of a life care facility to receive
32 the benefits provided by this Section, by affidavit,
33 application, visual inspection, questionnaire or other
34 reasonable methods in order to insure that the tax savings
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1 resulting from the exemption are credited by the management
2 firm to the apportioned tax liability of each qualifying
3 resident. The assessor may request reasonable proof that the
4 management firm has so credited the exemption.
5 The chief county assessment officer of each county with
6 less than 3,000,000 inhabitants shall provide to each person
7 allowed a homestead exemption under this Section a form to
8 designate any other person to receive a duplicate of any
9 notice of delinquency in the payment of taxes assessed and
10 levied under this Code on the property of the person
11 receiving the exemption. The duplicate notice shall be in
12 addition to the notice required to be provided to the person
13 receiving the exemption, and shall be given in the manner
14 required by this Code. The person filing the request for the
15 duplicate notice shall pay a fee of $5 to cover
16 administrative costs to the supervisor of assessments, who
17 shall then file the executed designation with the county
18 collector. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code
19 to the contrary, the filing of such an executed designation
20 requires the county collector to provide duplicate notices as
21 indicated by the designation. A designation may be rescinded
22 by the person who executed such designation at any time, in
23 the manner and form required by the chief county assessment
24 officer.
25 The assessor or chief county assessment officer may
26 determine the eligibility of residential property to receive
27 the homestead exemption provided by this Section by
28 application, visual inspection, questionnaire or other
29 reasonable methods. The determination shall be made in
30 accordance with guidelines established by the Department.
31 In counties with less than 3,000,000 inhabitants, the
32 county board may by resolution provide that if a person has
33 been granted a homestead exemption under this Section, the
34 person qualifying need not reapply for the exemption.
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1 In counties with less than 3,000,000 inhabitants, if the
2 assessor or chief county assessment officer requires annual
3 application for verification of eligibility for an exemption
4 once granted under this Section, the application shall be
5 mailed to the taxpayer.
6 The assessor or chief county assessment officer shall
7 notify each person who qualifies for an exemption under this
8 Section that the person may also qualify for deferral of real
9 estate taxes under the Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax
10 Deferral Act. The notice shall set forth the qualifications
11 needed for deferral of real estate taxes, the address and
12 telephone number of county collector, and a statement that
13 applications for deferral of real estate taxes may be
14 obtained from the county collector.
15 (Source: P.A. 89-412, eff. 11-17-95; 90-471, eff. 8-17-97.)
16 Section 90. The State Mandates Act is amended by adding
17 Section 8.23 as follows:
18 (30 ILCS 805/8.23 new)
19 Sec. 8.23. Exempt mandate. Notwithstanding Sections 6
20 and 8 of this Act, no reimbursement by the State is required
21 for the implementation of any mandate created by this
22 amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly.
23 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
24 becoming law.