Who has authority to equalize?
Chief County Assessment Officers, County Boards of Review and the State possess certain powers to equalize assessments. Chief County Assessment Officers determine the level of assessments for non-farm property by conducting annual assessment/sales ratio studies. These studies may be done for geographic areas within a county (generally township or multi-township assessment jurisdictions) or by class of property. Then, the Chief County Assessment Officers and/or Boards of Review may use equalization to raise or lower the assessments in an effort to achieve greater uniformity and equity within the county. The Chief County Assessment Officer in Lake County has intra-county equalization authority.

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1. What is equalization?
2. Who has authority to equalize?
3. How much variation in assessments exists among the counties?
4. How does the equalization factor affect the assessment on a taxpayer's property?