State Representative Dan Swanson partnered with the Knox, Bureau and Henry County Farm Bureaus® to host Farmland Assessment Meetings in each of the three counties on Monday, March 2, with dozens of local taxpayers attending the informational events.
“As a farmer, I know firsthand the impact property taxes and increasing assessments can have on those who feed the world. This program educates, empowers and provided tools to taxpayers,” said Swanson.
The events, held at Carl Sandburg College in Knox County, the Bureau County Metro Center in Princeton and Black Hawk East in Henry County all included a presentation by Brenda Matherly, Director of Local Government Affairs with the Illinois Farm Bureau, and provided attendees a better understanding on how farmland assessments are calculated and the long-term impact of those values. She discussed increasing property assessments and adjustments due to flooding. Due, in part, to a change in the Farmland Assessment Act, all farmland assessments will continue to go up. The rate of the increase will depend on soil type. This increase in assessed values will be reflected on the property tax bills payable in 2020 and for several years to come. Additional information was provided on the opportunity to receive a flood debasement on those acres that saw crop loss and prevented planting due to last year’s flood.