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Wind-farm tax assessment bill passes Senate

Posted August 09, 2007 11:00 pm

Adriana Colindres

Wind farms built in Illinois all would be assessed in the same way for purposes of paying property taxes under legislation the Illinois Senate overwhelmingly supported Thursday.

The legislation, designated House Bill 664, still must win approval from the House and Gov. Rod Blagojevich before it can become law. It sailed through the Senate, 53-0.

The measure spells out a formula for determining the property taxes that wind farms will pay.

Wind farms, a fledgling industry in Illinois, at present can be assessed in varying ways, depending on where they are. Different counties have been using differing methodologies.

Under HB664, a wind farm installed in 2007 would pay a tax of $9,000 per megawatt, no matter where in Illinois it is. That figure would drop slightly each year because of physical depreciation.

If enacted into law, the measure would expire - or "sunset" - after the 2011 tax year. The expiration date is intended to let lawmakers see how well the law works and whether it might need revision in the future.

The proposal was negotiated after months of talks involving county assessors, local governments, wind-energy companies and lawmakers, including Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, and Sens. Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa, and Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline.

Another part of the bill would phase out an existing 7 percent cap on property assessments in Cook County.

Adriana Colindres can be reached at (217) 782-6292 or adriana.colindres@sj-r.com.

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