HomeMy WebLinkAbout046 - 06/05/2012 - AMENDING CERTAIN SECTIONS OF CHAPTER 25 OF CITY CODE RELATING TO THE CITY'S PROPERTY TAX REBATE ORDINANCE NO. 046, 2012
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
AMENDING CERTAIN SECTIONS OF CHAPTER 25 OF THE CODE OF THE
CITY OF FORT COLLINS RELATING TO THE CITY'S PROPERTY TAX REBATE
WHEREAS, Chapter 25, Article II, Division 2 of the City Code authorizes rebates of City
property tax revenues to low income elderly residents and disabled residents of the City; and
WHEREAS,similarly,Chapter 25,Article II,Division 3 of the City Code authorizes rebates
of sales tax revenues to low income households in the City; and
WHEREAS,Chapter 25,Article II,Division 2 of the City Code authorizes the rebate of City
property tax revenues to low income elderly residents and disabled residents of the City,and Chapter
26, Article VII, Division 2 of the City Code provides relief from utility bills for such residents
through a utility bill refund'program that uses the same qualification requirements as the property
tax rebate program; and
WHEREAS, the City Council wishes to amend the provisions of these two divisions so as
to reconcile certain inconsistencies between them with regard to qualifying income levels and
administrative regulations, and to increase the amount of the sales tax rebate person per calendar
year.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT
COLLINS as follows:
Section 1. That the definition of"Household' contained Section 25-26 of the Code of
the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended to read as follows:
Household shall mean two(2) or more persons related by blood or marriage
living together under one (1) roof. For the purposes of this provision, a person who
pays property taxes or rent on a home or dwelling unit shall be considered to be a
part of the household in the dwelling unit in which that person resides, and shall not
be considered to be part of any other household.
Section 2. That Section 25-27 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended
to read as follows:
See. 25-27. Purpose.
There is hereby enacted a tax refund program to provide relief from property
taxes for low-income elderly residents and disabled residents of the City. It is the
purpose of this tax refund program to refund to low-income elderly residents and
disabled residents,as defined in this Division,the City's portion of property taxes for
the preceding year which such persons have paid. This program is intended to apply
to applicants who either own or lease,and reside within,the dwelling unit for which
such taxes have been paid pursuant to the provisions of Section 25-31(a).
Section 3. That Section 25-28 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended
to read as follows:
Sec. 25-28. Application for refund.
Refunds under this program shall be made to persons qualified for such
refunds upon written application made to the Financial Officer on forms to be
provided by the Financial Officer. Such applications shall be made between August
1 and October 31, inclusive, of each year for which a refund is to be made.
Section 4. That Section 25-29(4) of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby
amended to read as follows:
Sec. 25-29. Qualifications.
(4) The applicant household shall have an annual income which shall not
exceed fifty(50)percent of the area median income for the applicable
household size in the Fort Collins-Loveland metropolitan statistical
area, rounded to the nearest two-hundred-fifty-dollar increment, up
to a maximum household income of fifty (50) percent of the area
median income for a household of four (4), as most recently
published by the United States Department of Housing and Urban
Development as of August 1 of the rebate year.
Section 5. That Section 25-32 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended
to read as follows:
Sec. 25-32. Administration.
The Financial Officer shall administer the program established by this Division and
may prepare a rebate application form,adopt rules and regulations consistent with the
provisions of this Division and audit and verify the applications submitted pursuant
to this Division. Any rebate application form shall require the claimant to verify and
sign the application under oath. The burden of proving entitlement to a rebate under
this Division is on the claimant. The Financial Officer may require reasonable
information to support the rebate application.
Section 6. That the City Manager is hereby directed to submit an annual report to the
City Council, commencing on or before March 31, 2013, setting forth the number of applications
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for property tax rebates and utility bill refunds received by the City during the previous year, the
status of the applicants(whether property owner or tenant),the average household income level,the
total amounts rebated by the City during the previous year, and any other information that the City
Manager may consider relevant and helpful to the City Council's ongoing assessment of such rebate
programs and ways in which they might be made more effective.
Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 15th day of
May, A.D. 2012, and to be presented for final passage on the 5th day of June, A.D. 2012.
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Passed and adopted on final reading on the 5th day of June, A.D. 2012.
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