A: Marion Heights, LLC.

A ) Property sale / Marion Heights, LLC. from Wilda Purdom et al

( prolonged 4 year delay in assessment after a sale, then a 50% discount, followed by an questionable preferential farm assessment )    Documents

  1. In April of 2006 Marion Heights, LLC. purchased approximately 30 acres of land from Wilda Purdom et al. This property was comprised of 43 parcels, the majority of which were in the Davcott Estates subdivision, and located on Morgan Avenue in Marion, Illinois approximately 800 feet from the planned on ramp to Interstate Highway 57.

  1. P-TAX records show, and Wilda Purdom confirms, Marion Heights LLC. paid $ 600,000.00 for these parcels in a transaction handled by J. David Thompson Realty in April of 2006. Courthouse documents show a $ 625,000.00 mortgage recorded for the same date.

  2. The 2005/2006 tax bills for all 43 parcels were changed to show Marion Heights LLC. as both the owner for 2005 and for the mailing address by the tax assessor’s office. The properties were not reassessed.

  3. In August of 2006, Marion Heights, LLC. and the City of Marion formed the second TIF district for Marion Heights, LLC., including this property. Like the first Marion Heights LLC. TIF district agreement, 75% of the TIF property taxes are set aside for Marion Heights LLC. ( As of 2012, checks totaling 4million dollars have been written directly to Marion Heights LLC. by the Williamson County Treasurer but run through the City of Marion’s books and bank accounts, not indorsed.) No answers are given.

  4. In an inexcusable departure from the normal and expected assessment requirements, the Williamson County Tax Assessor did not assess any of the 43 parcels to reflect the purchase price for the tax year of 2006/2007, nor for the tax year of 2007/2008, nor for tax year of 2008/2009, nor for the tax year of 2009/2010.

  5. In fact, of these, the largest 18.2 acre parcel ( PIN # 06-11-400-011), paying a total tax of $ 31.64 in 2005/2006, was reduced to only $ 9.58 for 2009/2010.

  6. In May of 2009 Doug Bradley of Marion Heights, LLC. recorded a subdivision plat for these parcels named “Marion Heights Commercial Subdivision – Phase 1” signed by ( Williamson County Supervisor of Assessments ) Jeff Robinson on May 26, 2009.

  7. In 2010 this commercial subdivision became the center of the highly acclaimed STAR BONDS DEVELOPMENT legislated in Springfield, giving this property every possible incentive for investors and commercial development.

  8. In 2010, the Williamson County Tax Assessor then assessed these (now) 9 parcels for a total fair cash value of only $303,210.00 on the 2010/2011 property tax bills, ( reflecting roughly only ½ of the purchase price of $ 600,000.00 in 2006 ) for a total tax of only $ 6,582.66. In 2010 he also reclassified this entire property to “ 062” commercial subdivision.

  9. In 2012 Marion Heights LLC. planted the property with soybeans. This appears to be the first year this property was cultivated or planted with anything.

  10. In 2012, the tax assessor granted 8 of the 9 lots a preferential farmland assessment of “021” as the documents referred to as “ Exhibit A, FARM” will verify. This reduced the already half price taxes to a grand total of $ 83.20 for all of the 8 lots. ( $ 10.40 per lot regardless of the size, from 1 to 15 acres each. )

  11. The requirements for obtaining the preferential farmland assessment for property taxes state that the property must have been used as a farm ( ie: plants in the ground ) for the previous 2 years. Numerous witnesses will testify that it was never planted before 2012. Google aerial photos also appear to rule out their unsubstantiated claims of winter wheat for 2010 and 2011. Winter wheat is vibrantly green and impossible to hide. This property is located on very heavily travelled Morgan Avenue and intently watched by the locals as it is the center of the highly touted STAR BONDS DEVELOPMENT.

  1. The rough estimate for tax monies the county has been defrauded of on this land transaction alone is approximately $100,000.00 to date.  

 

         Click link below to view documents

            (  Deeds for Document A  )     (  Tax Years 2012-2013 Preferential Farm Assessment  )

           (  2010-2011, 2011-2012 Half  Price Assessment  )     (  2005-6-7-8-9 Non Assessment  )

 (   TIF Documents & Misc   )

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