SB1236eng 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1236 Engrossed LRB099 09781 HLH 29993 b

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 Section 18-155 and by adding Section 18-156 as follows:

(35 ILCS 200/18-155)

Sec. 18-155. Apportionment of taxes for district in two or more counties. The burden of taxation of property in taxing districts that lie in more than one county shall be fairly apportioned as provided in Article IX, Section 7, of the Constitution of 1970.

The Department may, and on written request made before July 1 to the Department shall, proceed to apportion the tax burden. The request may be made only by an assessor, chief county assessment officer, Board of Review, Board of Appeals, overlapping taxing district or 25 or more interested taxpayers. The request shall specify one or more taxing districts in the county which lie in one or more other specified counties, and also specify the civil townships, if any, in which the overlapping taxing districts lie. When the Department has received a written request for equalization for overlapping tax districts as provided in this Section, the Department shall promptly notify the county clerk and county treasurer of each county affected by that request that tax bills with respect to property in the parts of the county which are affected by the request may not be prepared or mailed until the Department certifies the apportionment among counties of the taxing districts' levies, except as provided in subsection (c) of this Section. To apportion, the Department shall:

(a) On or before December 31 of that year cause an assessment ratio study to be made in each township in which each of the named overlapping taxing districts lies, using equalized assessed values as certified by the county clerk, and an analysis of property transfers prior to January 1 of that year. The property transfers shall be in an amount deemed reasonable and proper by the Department. The Department may conduct hearings, at which the evidence shall be limited to the written presentation of assessment ratio study data.

(b) Request from the County Clerk in each County in which the overlapping taxing districts lie, certification of the portion of the assessed value of the prior year for each overlapping taxing district's portion of each township. Beginning with the 1999 taxable year, for those counties that classify property by county ordinance pursuant to subsection (b) of Section 4 of Article IX of the Illinois Constitution, the certification shall be listed by property class as provided in the classification ordinance. The clerk shall return the certification within 30 days of receipt of the request.

(c) Use the township assessment ratio studies to apportion the amount to be raised by taxation upon property within the district so that each county in which the district lies bears that burden of taxation as though all parts of the overlapping taxing district had been assessed at the same proportion of actual value. The Department shall certify to each County Clerk, by March 15, the percent of burden. Except as provided below, the County Clerk shall apply the percentage to the extension as provided in Section 18-45 to determine the amount of tax to be raised in the county.

If the Department does not certify the percent of burden in the time prescribed, the county clerk shall use the most recent prior certification to determine the amount of tax to be raised in the county.

If the use of a prior certified percentage results in over or under extension for the overlapping taxing district in the county using same, the county clerk shall make appropriate adjustments in the subsequent year, except as provided by Section 18-156. Any adjustments necessitated by the procedure authorized by this Section shall be made by increasing or decreasing the tax extension by fund for each taxing district where a prior certified percentage was used. No tax rate limit shall render any part of a tax levy illegally excessive which has been apportioned as herein provided. The percentages certified by the Department shall remain until changed by reason of another assessment ratio study made under this Section.

To determine whether an overlapping district has met any qualifying rate prescribed by law for eligibility for State aid, the tax rate of the district shall be considered to be that rate which would have produced the same amount of revenue had the taxes of the district been extended at a uniform rate throughout the district, even if by application of this Section the actual rate of extension in a portion of the district is less than the qualifying rate.

(Source: P.A. 90-594, eff. 6-24-98.)

(35 ILCS 200/18-156 new)

Sec. 18-156. Correction of apportionment of taxes for a district in 2 or more counties.

(a) Definitions. For the purposes of this Section, these definitions shall apply:

"Apportioned property tax levy" means the total property tax extension of a taxing district in one or more counties that has been apportioned by the Department pursuant to Section 18-155.

"Over-apportionment" means that any single county's share of an apportioned property tax levy is subsequently determined to exceed 105% of what that county's share should have been.

(b) If, subsequent to the calculation of an apportioned property tax levy, the Department determines that an over-apportionment has taken place, the Department shall notify the county clerk and county treasurer of each county affected by the incorrect apportionment and shall provide those county clerks and county treasurers with correct apportionment data.

(c) If the notification under this Section is made prior to the due date of the final installment of property tax payments for that taxable year, the county treasurer of a county where an over-apportionment has taken place may, at the treasurer's sole discretion, issue a refund of the over-apportioned amount by either a reduced final installment, a refund of taxes paid, or both, to each taxpayer who is entitled to a refund because of the over-apportionment. Additionally, if the treasurer of the county where an over-apportionment has taken place issues a refund under this subsection, the county treasurer of each other county affected by the incorrect apportionment shall issue a corrected final installment or an additional bill for the amount owed as a result of the under-apportionment of that county's share of the property tax levy to each taxpayer whose taxes were underpaid as a result of the apportionment error.

(d) Any refund issued under subsection (c) due to any over-apportionment shall be made from funds held by the county treasurer for the specific taxing district that was the subject of the over-apportionment; once those funds have been disbursed to the taxing districts, the authority of the county treasurer to issue refunds under subsection (c) ends.

(e) This Section applies for taxable year 2015 and thereafter.

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