As Passed by the Senate                       1            

122nd General Assembly                                             4            

   Regular Session                              Am. S. B. No. 123  5            

      1997-1998                                                    6            


 SENATORS WHITE-BLESSING-CARNES-DIX-SHOEMAKER-B. JOHNSON-DRAKE-    8            

          GAETH-LATTA-GARDNER-ZALESKI-HOWARD-SCHAFRATH             9            


                                                                   11           

                           A   B I L L                                          

             To amend section 319.38 and to enact section          13           

                4503.0611 of the Revised Code to provide           14           

                additional opportunity for the owner of certain    15           

                injured or destroyed property to receive a                      

                reduction in the valuation of such property for    16           

                the current tax year, to authorize a waiver or     17           

                refund of taxes on destroyed manufactured homes,   18           

                and to declare an emergency.                                    




BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:        20           

      Section 1.  That section 319.38 be amended and section       22           

4503.0611 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:       23           

      Sec. 319.38.  Whenever it is made to appear to the county    33           

auditor, by the oath of the owner or one of the owners of a        34           

building or structure, land, orchard, timber, ornamental trees,    35           

or groves, or by the affidavit of two disinterested persons who    36           

are residents of the township or municipal corporation in which    37           

such property is or was situated, that it is listed for taxation   38           

for the current year, and has been destroyed or injured after the  39           

first day of January of the current year, the county auditor       40           

shall investigate the matter and adjust the valuation of the       41           

property, on the tax list for the current year, as prescribed by   42           

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

      (A)  If the injury or destruction occurred during the first  45           

calendar quarter, the county auditor shall deduct from the         46           

valuation of the property an amount that, in the county auditor's  47           

                                                          2      

                                                                 
judgment, fairly represents the extent of the injury or            49           

destruction;                                                                    

      (B)  If the injury or destruction occurred during the        52           

second calendar quarter, the county auditor shall deduct from the  53           

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

that, in the county auditor's judgment, fairly represents the      54           

extent of the injury or destruction;                               55           

      (C)  If the injury or destruction occurs during the third    58           

calendar quarter, the county auditor shall deduct from the                      

valuation of the property fifty per cent of the amount that, in    59           

the county auditor's judgment, fairly represents the extent of     60           

the injury or destruction;                                         61           

      (D)  If the injury or destruction occurs during the fourth   64           

calendar quarter, the county auditor shall deduct from the                      

valuation of the property twenty-five per cent of the amount       65           

that, in the county auditor's judgment, fairly represents the      66           

extent of the injury or destruction.                               67           

      No such deduction shall be made in the case of an injury to  71           

or destruction of a building, structure, land, orchard, timber,    72           

ornamental trees, or groves, resulting in damage of less than one  73           

hundred dollars.                                                                

      The TO OBTAIN THE DEDUCTIONS PRESCRIBED IN DIVISIONS (A) TO  75           

(D) OF THIS SECTION, THE owner OR ONE OF THE OWNERS of injured or  77           

damaged DESTROYED property OR THE TWO DISINTERESTED PERSONS WHO    78           

ARE RESIDENTS OF THE TOWNSHIP OR MUNICIPAL CORPORATION IN WHICH    79           

THE PROPERTY IS OR WAS SITUATED shall apply to the county auditor  81           

for a deduction under this section not later than the thirtieth                 

day after the last day of the calendar quarter during which the    82           

injury or destruction occurs.  HOWEVER, THE INJURED OR DESTROYED   83           

PROPERTY OF AN OWNER OR ONE OF THE OWNERS APPLYING LATER THAN, OR  85           

FOR WHICH SUCH APPLICATION WAS MADE LATER THAN, SUCH DATE SHALL    86           

BE DEEMED TO HAVE BEEN INJURED OR DESTROYED IN THE QUARTER IN      87           

WHICH THE APPLICATION WAS MADE, AND SHALL RECEIVE THE DEDUCTION    88           

PRESCRIBED UNDER DIVISION (B), (C), OR (D) OF THIS SECTION         89           

                                                          3      

                                                                 
CORRESPONDING TO THE DATE OF APPLICATION.                          90           

      The county auditor shall certify the deductions made under   93           

this section to the county treasurer, who shall correct the tax    94           

list and duplicate in accordance with such deductions.  If the     95           

deduction cannot be entered upon the current tax list and          97           

duplicate, the county auditor shall proceed in the manner          98           

prescribed under section 5715.22 of the Revised Code to refund or  99           

credit to the taxpayer the amount of the reduction in taxes        100          

attributable to the deduction in valuation made under this         101          

section.                                                                        

      Sec. 4503.0611.  WHENEVER IT IS MADE TO APPEAR TO THE        104          

COUNTY AUDITOR, BY THE OATH OF THE OWNER OR ONE OF THE OWNERS OF   105          

A MANUFACTURED HOME, OR BY THE AFFIDAVIT OF TWO DISINTERESTED      106          

PERSONS WHO ARE RESIDENTS OF THE TOWNSHIP OR MUNICIPAL             107          

CORPORATION IN WHICH THE MANUFACTURED HOME IS OR WAS SITUATED,     108          

THAT THE HOME IS SUBJECT TO TAXATION FOR THE CURRENT YEAR UNDER    109          

SECTION 4503.06 OF THE REVISED CODE AND HAS BEEN DESTROYED AFTER   112          

THE FIRST DAY OF JANUARY OF THE CURRENT YEAR, THE COUNTY AUDITOR   113          

SHALL INVESTIGATE THE MATTER, AND SHALL REFUND OR WAIVE THE        114          

PAYMENT OF THE CURRENT YEAR'S TAXES ON SUCH HOME AS PRESCRIBED IN  115          

THIS SECTION.  THE OATH OR AFFIDAVIT REQUIRED BY THIS SECTION      116          

SHALL BE FILED NOT LATER THAN THIRTY DAYS AFTER THE END OF THE     117          

HALF OF THE CALENDAR YEAR IN WHICH THE MANUFACTURED HOME WAS       118          

DESTROYED.                                                                      

      (A)  IF THE AUDITOR DETERMINES THE DESTRUCTION OCCURRED      121          

DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE CALENDAR YEAR, THE AUDITOR SHALL      122          

DRAW A WARRANT ON THE COUNTY TREASURER TO REFUND THE AMOUNT OF     123          

TAXES PAID ON THE HOME FOR THE CURRENT YEAR UNDER SECTION 4503.06  124          

OF THE REVISED CODE.  IF SUCH TAXES HAVE NOT BEEN PAID AT THE      127          

TIME OF THE AUDITOR'S DETERMINATION, THE AUDITOR MAY WAIVE THE     128          

PAYMENT OF SUCH TAX.                                                            

      (B)  IF THE AUDITOR DETERMINES THE DESTRUCTION OCCURRED      131          

DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE CALENDAR YEAR, THE AUDITOR SHALL     132          

DRAW A WARRANT ON THE COUNTY TREASURER TO REFUND ONE-HALF OF THE   133          

                                                          4      

                                                                 
AMOUNT OF TAXES PAID ON THE HOME FOR THE CURRENT YEAR UNDER        134          

SECTION 4503.06 OF THE REVISED CODE.  IF SUCH TAXES HAVE NOT BEEN  135          

PAID AT THE TIME OF THE AUDITOR'S DETERMINATION, THE AUDITOR MAY   137          

WAIVE THE PAYMENT OF ONE-HALF OF THE AMOUNT OF SUCH TAX.           138          

      (C)  TAXES REFUNDED UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL BE PAID FROM    141          

THE COUNTY UNDIVIDED GENERAL PROPERTY TAX FUND.                    142          

      Section 2.  That existing section 319.38 of the Revised      144          

Code is hereby repealed.                                           145          

      Section 3.  Notwithstanding the application date set forth   147          

in section 319.38 of the Revised Code, if it is made to appear to  148          

the county auditor in the manner prescribed in that section that   149          

a building or structure, land, orchard, timber, ornamental trees,  151          

or groves listed for taxation for the current year have been       152          

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

during the first calendar quarter of the current calendar year,    153          

the owner or one of the owners of that property, or the two        154          

disinterested persons, shall have until December 31, 1997, to      156          

file with the county auditor the oath or affidavits required                    

under section 319.38 of the Revised Code for the purpose of        157          

obtaining a deduction from the valuation of the property as        158          

provided in division (A) of that section.                          159          

      Section 4.  Section 3 of this act shall expire at midnight   161          

on January 1, 1998.                                                162          

      Section 5.  This act is hereby declared to be an emergency   164          

measure necessary for the immediate preservation of the public     165          

peace, health, and safety.  The reason for such necessity is that  167          

millions of dollars of property were devastated in the storms and  168          

floods that swept through this state in early 1997.  This measure  169          

is necessary to ensure some form of financial relief will be made  170          

available quickly to the unfortunate victims of these events.      171          

Therefore, this act shall go into immediate effect.                172