Macomb, IL – A new Illinois law will give a tax break to landowners who keep their land undeveloped and under a conservation plan.
State Senator John Sullivan was a member of the task force that developed the bill.
The Rushville Democrat says it came about because property taxes were increasing to the point that property owners could be forced into using their land for farming or home sites.
Sullivan says the bill can apply to timber land, wetlands or prairie, and bases taxes on five percent of market value.
He says this compares to the previous level of one-third of market value.
The land must be under a conservation plan approved by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
More information:
The proposal applies to tracts five acres or larger.
The goal is to maintain at least some parts of Illinois in a natural state as wildlife habitat.
Senate Bill 17 was developed by the Wooded Land Assessment Task Force.