The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) has issued Christian County a tentative property assessment equalization factor, or “multiplier,” of 1.0000 for the 2024 tax year, according to IDOR Director David Harris. This multiplier ensures consistent property assessments across Illinois counties to promote fairness for taxpayers, particularly in areas where local taxing districts, like school and fire districts, span multiple counties.

State law mandates that Illinois properties are assessed at one-third of their market value, though farmland is assessed differently based on productivity standards. Christian County’s assessments currently stand at 33.42% of market value, based on sales from the past three years, meeting the equalization standard required by the state.

The equalization factor, recalculated annually, compares the sales prices of properties over a three-year period with their assessed values. A factor of 1.0000 signifies that properties are assessed in line with one-third of their market value, achieving the state’s goal of uniformity.

While the multiplier affects how much of the tax responsibility each property owner carries, it does not change the total amount of taxes collected. That is determined by local taxing districts based on their funding needs for services. As a result, tax bills will not necessarily increase or decrease with the multiplier; they only change if local tax levies do.

This tentative multiplier will become official following a public hearing, scheduled 20-30 days after official publication. Residents can share input during the hearing, and the factor could be adjusted if new data or actions by the County Board of Review impact local assessments.

Christian County’s equalization factor was also set at 1.0000 in the previous year, maintaining consistency in property assessments for the area.