Assessor
Supervisor of Assessments
112 W. Madison Street, Pontiac, IL 61764
Phone: (815)844-7214
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Assessment Office
The Supervisor of Assessments, also known as the Chief County Assessment Officer, is responsible for the oversight of the valuation of all real property within the county for purpose of real estate assessments. It is the duty of our office to locate, identify, and appraise all taxable property in accordance with the state law and administrative procedures. It is the mission of the Supervisor of Assessments to provide efficient and equitable administration of the assessment cycle.
The Supervisor of Assessment is appointed by the County Board. They must have two years of relevant experience, pass a qualifying examination and possess certain professional designations earned by successfully completing courses in assessment techniques.
Property Valuation
Property is first reviewed and valued by the Township Assessor. Those changes are then submitted to the Supervisor of Assessments. Once all changes are entered for the year, values are analyzed and compared to the County’s Sales Ratio Study. The CCOA is then charged with applying equalization as needed to bring values to the required 33.33% of market value.
Exemptions
The Assessment Office maintains all exemption information for the county. Illinois law provides for several exemptions for property owners that own and live in their property. Those exemptions include the Owner-Occupied, Senior Homestead, Low-Income Senior Freeze, Disabled Persons, Disabled Veterans, Returning Veterans and Home Improvement Exemptions. Application forms for each of these exemptions are available in our office or on the forms page of the Assessor’s Website.
Non-Homestead Exemptions (Villages, Churches, Schools, etc.) are also filed with the Assessment Office.
Deeds and Real Estate Transfers
Deed and Real Estate Declarations are recorded with the County Clerk and Recorder’s Office. Those documents are then forwarded to the County Assessment Office. Deeds are used to update the ownership records for correspondence with property owners. Declarations provide important sales data that is used for assessment analysis. The Declarations are then forwarded on to the Illinois Department of Revenue for the equalization process.
Parcel Maintenance
The County Assessment Office is required to maintain property record cards for each parcel in the County. Our office has ownership and parcel history going back to the early 1970’s.