Above / Naperville Township Assessor and state officials serving Naperville and Aurora met at Naperville Township offices on Friday to announce filing of two Illinois House Bills that aim to provide tax relief for seniors across the state. Below / Representatives from DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties attended, too.
If you’re age 65-plus, pay attention to the two bills introduced this week to the Illinois State Legislature that are highlighted and linked in this story.
If you enjoy the lifestyle of this community and are wondering how to afford living here beyond age 65, continue reading.
If you have children who have observed a home of empty nesters in your neighborhood, educate them about property taxes. Explain that many senior residents have paid (and continue to pay) taxes during the growth and development of the community when their own children were in public (or private) schools. Their longtime tax support has helped benefit public schools and other public services that add to the quality of life local residents have come to expect. Today those neighbors likely would welcome tax relief so they can stay in the community they enjoy right here in the Midwest.
—PN
State Rep. Chapa Lavia leads press conference
On Friday morning Feb. 17, State Representative Linda Chapa LaVia (D-83rd) held a press conference at the Naperville Township office where she announced the filing of HB 2554 and HB 2563.
Naperville Township Tax Assessor Warren Dixon provided many details of the two bills. Other officials from Kane, DuPage, Kendall, and Will County as well as local senior service providers in attendance lent their support.
Along with Chief Co-Sponsor State Representative Grant Wehrli (R-41st), Illinois Senate sponsors are Senator Michael Connelly (R-21st) and Senator Linda Holmes (D-42nd).
HB 2554
HB 2554 is a modification of the current Homestead Exemption. According to the synopsis presented with the bill online, HB 2554 amends the Property Tax Code by increasing the maximum reduction under the Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption from $5,000 to $7,000 for taxable year 2017. Effective immediately.
Click here for the link to details of HB 2554 and its status.
HB 2563
HB 2563 is referred to as a “property tax senior freeze exemption” that has not been indexed since 2008. The synopsis states that when passed, the bill would amend the Property Tax Code. “In a Section concerning the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption, provides that, for taxable year 2017 and thereafter, the maximum income limitation is $75,000 (currently, $55,000). Effective immediately.”
Click here for the link to HB 2563 and its status.
Chapa LaVia said the issue was brought to the forefront by Assessor Dixon with the land sale in School District 204 that would include 250 multiple family units.
“More rooftops will have major impact,” she said, noting the pressing time is now to renew and revise.
“It’s as bipartisan as you get,” said Connelly, endorsing the bills that will benefit seniors being “taxed out of their homes.”
Connelly went on to say he supports bipartisan relief for seniors, emphasizing the longtime residents’ contributions to the growth of the community, “raising kids here, part and parcel of development”… still huge contributors in town via “service organizations or volunteering.”
The round-table discussion addressed needs to grow the economic base to be competitive and bring substantial property tax relief to all residents.
Good land planning with a balance of residential, industrial and commercial is essential, according to Dixon, who emphasized mixed-use development that will be “substantial and sustainable.”
As property values start to increase, seniors can freeze their assessed valuations.
Dixon lauded all officials around the table for understanding good land planning, mindful that residential development brings higher costs to school districts.
Kifowit added comments about 55-plus living communities in her district such as Carillon Club and the need to educate and inform residents. “These seniors should not be paying full property taxes when they are moving into senior living environments where they have zero impact on school districts,” she said.
“School districts and the mayors throughout the state are not all happy,” Chapa LaVia admits. “But I think it’s about time we go back to the seniors and the residents and make sure they know what we’re doing with their money. We seem to have a deficit in trust in government and this puts it back where they understand that we are fighting for them.”
Chapa Lavia went on to promote that Illinois needs to look at the “whole tax code, period,” … “with the fortitude and ethics to reform taxes.”
Local elected officials say they’re looking out for seniors
The broad message is that Assessor Dixon and locally-elected officials serving in Springfield are looking out for seniors and future taxpayers.
This plan is “sustainable and substantial” tax relief, Dixon repeated throughout the 28-minute press conference, noting that the senior tax breaks will be statewide when adopted. Officials anticipate the bills will be passed by both the state house and senate within several months and effective immediately thereafter.
Watch for public presentations that aim to educate the community about the new exemptions and how to apply for them.
The Naperville Township Assessors Office is located at 139 Water Street in downtown Naperville.
