Colette Davis, C.I.A.O. Zion Township Assessor 2816 Sheridan Road Zion, IL 60099 cdavis@zionassessor.com |
The office of Township Assessor is one of the most important and least understood of all Township offices; therefore, I would like to help you understand some of the responsibilities that I face as your Assessor. In Illinois, Assessors by state law are required to use sales transactions from the three years prior to the assessment date (January 1st of each year) to determine property values for the entire township. Therefore, we cannot consider the 2012 sales until 2013. Your tax dollars are determined by the tax rate: a percentage representation of the amount of money the taxing bodies require from the property tax system. After the Assessor appraises properties, those assessments are used to distribute the tax burden created by the taxing authorities, such as the school districts, park district, municipalities, and library districts. Consequently, we cannot discuss the amount of your tax bill, only the value of your property. In order to maintain proper records on all improved parcels in Zion Township, we receive copies of building permits that are issued by the City of Zion. The Assessor’s Office, in turn, physically inspects each property that is affected by said permits. Also, we receive a copy of each recorded sales declaration from the County Recorder of Deeds. This information allows us to perform a statistical analysis of the market in Zion Township. Our office initiates exemptions such as: Homestead Limited, Homestead Improvement, and Senior Homestead, which we certify to the County for application. As an added service, we assist Zion seniors, age 65 and older, in applying for the Senior Freeze Exemption.
|