As Introduced                            1            

122nd General Assembly                                             4            

   Regular Session                                  S. B. No. 123  5            

      1997-1998                                                    6            


          SENATORS WHITE-BLESSING-CARNES-DIX-SHOEMAKER             8            


                                                                   10           

                           A   B I L L                                          

             To amend section 319.38 and to enact section          12           

                4503.0611 of the Revised Code to provide           13           

                additional opportunity for the owner of certain    14           

                injured or destroyed property to receive a                      

                reduction in the valuation of such property for    15           

                the current tax year, to authorize a waiver or     16           

                refund of taxes on destroyed manufactured homes,   17           

                and to declare an emergency.                                    




BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:        19           

      Section 1.  That section 319.38 be amended and section       21           

4503.0611 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:       22           

      Sec. 319.38.  Whenever it is made to appear to the county    32           

auditor, by the oath of the owner or one of the owners of a        33           

building or structure, land, orchard, timber, ornamental trees,    34           

or groves, or by the affidavit of two disinterested persons who    35           

are residents of the township or municipal corporation in which    36           

such property is or was situated, that it is listed for taxation   37           

for the current year, and has been destroyed or injured after the  38           

first day of January of the current year, the county auditor       39           

shall investigate the matter and adjust the valuation of the       40           

property, on the tax list for the current year, as prescribed by   41           

divisions (A) through (D) of this section:                                      

      (A)  If the injury or destruction occurred during the first  44           

calendar quarter, the county auditor shall deduct from the         45           

valuation of the property an amount that, in the county auditor's  46           

judgment, fairly represents the extent of the injury or            48           

                                                          2      

                                                                 
destruction;                                                                    

      (B)  If the injury or destruction occurred during the        51           

second calendar quarter, the county auditor shall deduct from the  52           

valuation of the property seventy-five per cent of the amount                   

that, in the county auditor's judgment, fairly represents the      53           

extent of the injury or destruction;                               54           

      (C)  If the injury or destruction occurs during the third    57           

calendar quarter, the county auditor shall deduct from the                      

valuation of the property fifty per cent of the amount that, in    58           

the county auditor's judgment, fairly represents the extent of     59           

the injury or destruction;                                         60           

      (D)  If the injury or destruction occurs during the fourth   63           

calendar quarter, the county auditor shall deduct from the                      

valuation of the property twenty-five per cent of the amount       64           

that, in the county auditor's judgment, fairly represents the      65           

extent of the injury or destruction.                               66           

      No such deduction shall be made in the case of an injury to  70           

or destruction of a building, structure, land, orchard, timber,    71           

ornamental trees, or groves, resulting in damage of less than one  72           

hundred dollars.                                                                

      The TO OBTAIN THE DEDUCTIONS PRESCRIBED IN DIVISIONS (A) TO  74           

(D) OF THIS SECTION, THE owner of injured or damaged DESTROYED     76           

property shall apply to the county auditor for a deduction under   77           

this section not later than the thirtieth day after the last day   78           

of the calendar quarter during which the injury or destruction     79           

occurs.  HOWEVER, THE INJURED OR DESTROYED PROPERTY OF AN OWNER                 

APPLYING LATER THAN SUCH DATE SHALL BE DEEMED TO HAVE BEEN         80           

INJURED OR DESTROYED IN THE QUARTER IN WHICH THE APPLICATION WAS   81           

MADE, AND SHALL RECEIVE THE DEDUCTION PRESCRIBED UNDER DIVISION    83           

(B), (C), OR (D) OF THIS SECTION CORRESPONDING TO THE DATE OF      84           

APPLICATION.                                                                    

      The county auditor shall certify the deductions made under   87           

this section to the county treasurer, who shall correct the tax    88           

list and duplicate in accordance with such deductions.  If the     89           

                                                          3      

                                                                 
deduction cannot be entered upon the current tax list and          91           

duplicate, the county auditor shall proceed in the manner          92           

prescribed under section 5715.22 of the Revised Code to refund or  93           

credit to the taxpayer the amount of the reduction in taxes        94           

attributable to the deduction in valuation made under this         95           

section.                                                                        

      Sec. 4503.0611.  WHENEVER IT IS MADE TO APPEAR TO THE        98           

COUNTY AUDITOR, BY THE OATH OF THE OWNER OR ONE OF THE OWNERS OF   99           

A MANUFACTURED HOME, OR BY THE AFFIDAVIT OF TWO DISINTERESTED      100          

PERSONS WHO ARE RESIDENTS OF THE TOWNSHIP OR MUNICIPAL             101          

CORPORATION IN WHICH THE MANUFACTURED HOME IS OR WAS SITUATED,     102          

THAT THE HOME IS SUBJECT TO TAXATION FOR THE CURRENT YEAR UNDER    103          

SECTION 4503.06 OF THE REVISED CODE AND HAS BEEN DESTROYED AFTER   106          

THE FIRST DAY OF JANUARY OF THE CURRENT YEAR, THE COUNTY AUDITOR   107          

SHALL INVESTIGATE THE MATTER, AND SHALL REFUND OR WAIVE THE        108          

PAYMENT OF THE CURRENT YEAR'S TAXES ON SUCH HOME AS PRESCRIBED IN  109          

THIS SECTION.                                                                   

      (A)  IF THE AUDITOR DETERMINES THE DESTRUCTION OCCURRED      112          

DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE CALENDAR YEAR, THE AUDITOR SHALL      113          

DRAW A WARRANT ON THE COUNTY TREASURER TO REFUND THE AMOUNT OF     114          

TAXES PAID ON THE HOME FOR THE CURRENT YEAR UNDER SECTION 4503.06  115          

OF THE REVISED CODE.  IF SUCH TAXES HAVE NOT BEEN PAID AT THE      118          

TIME OF THE AUDITOR'S DETERMINATION, THE AUDITOR MAY WAIVE THE     119          

PAYMENT OF SUCH TAX.                                                            

      (B)  IF THE AUDITOR DETERMINES THE DESTRUCTION OCCURRED      122          

DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE CALENDAR YEAR, THE AUDITOR SHALL     123          

DRAW A WARRANT ON THE COUNTY TREASURER TO REFUND ONE-HALF OF THE   124          

AMOUNT OF TAXES PAID ON THE HOME FOR THE CURRENT YEAR UNDER        125          

SECTION 4503.06 OF THE REVISED CODE.  IF SUCH TAXES HAVE NOT BEEN  126          

PAID AT THE TIME OF THE AUDITOR'S DETERMINATION, THE AUDITOR MAY   127          

WAIVE THE PAYMENT OF ONE-HALF OF THE AMOUNT OF SUCH TAX.           128          

      (C)  TAXES REFUNDED UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL BE PAID FROM    131          

THE COUNTY UNDIVIDED GENERAL PROPERTY TAX FUND.                    132          

      Section 2.  That existing section 319.38 of the Revised      134          

                                                          4      

                                                                 
Code is hereby repealed.                                           135          

      Section 3.  Notwithstanding the application date set forth   137          

in section 319.38 of the Revised Code, if it is made to appear to  138          

the county auditor in the manner prescribed in that section that   139          

a building or structure, land, orchard, timber, ornamental trees,  141          

or groves listed for taxation for the current year have been       142          

destroyed or injured by fire, flood, tornado, or otherwise,                     

during the first calendar quarter of the current calendar year,    143          

the owner of that property shall have until September 30, 1997,    144          

to file with the county auditor the oath or affidavits required    145          

under section 319.38 of the Revised Code for the purpose of        146          

obtaining a deduction from the valuation of the property as        147          

provided in division (A) of that section.                          148          

      Section 4.  Section 3 of this act shall expire at midnight   150          

on October 1, 1997.                                                151          

      Section 5.  This act is hereby declared to be an emergency   153          

measure necessary for the immediate preservation of the public     154          

peace, health, and safety.  The reason for such necessity is that  156          

millions of dollars of property were devastated in the storms and  157          

floods that swept through this state in early 1997.  This measure  158          

is necessary to ensure some form of financial relief will be made  159          

available quickly to the unfortunate victims of these events.      160          

Therefore, this act shall go into immediate effect.                161