(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Applicant" means the person who occupies a homestead in a housing cooperative.

(2) "Homestead" has the same meaning as in division (A)(1)(b) of section 323.151 of the Revised Code.

(B) Not later than the first day of May each year, any nonprofit corporation that owns and operates a housing cooperative shall determine the amount of property taxes it paid for the housing cooperative for the preceding tax year and shall attribute to each homestead in the housing cooperative a portion of the total property taxes as if the homestead's occupant paid the taxes. The taxes attributed to each homestead shall be based on the percentage that the square footage of the homestead is of the total square footage of the housing cooperative and on other reasonable factors that reflect the value of the homestead. Not later than the fifteenth day of May each year, the corporation shall file this information with the county auditor, along with any applications submitted to it under division (A) of section 323.153 of the Revised Code. No nonprofit corporation that owns and operates a housing cooperative shall fail to file with the county auditor the information required by this division and division (A) of section 323.153 of the Revised Code.

(C) The county auditor shall approve or deny an application for reduction under division (A) of section 323.152 of the Revised Code and, not later than the first Monday in October, shall so notify the applicant and the nonprofit corporation that owns and operates the housing cooperative. Notification shall be provided on a form prescribed by the tax commissioner. If the application is approved, upon issuance of the notification the county auditor shall record the amount of reduction in taxes in the appropriate column on the general tax list and duplicate of real and public utility property.

(D) On receipt of the notice from the county auditor under division (C) of this section, the nonprofit corporation that owns and operates the housing cooperative shall reduce the monthly maintenance fee for each homestead for which an application for reduction was approved for the year following the year for which the application was approved. The reduction in the monthly maintenance fee shall equal one-twelfth of the reduction in taxes attributed to the homestead by the county auditor under division (C) of this section.

(E) If an application, late application, or continuing application is not approved, or if the county auditor otherwise determines that a homestead does not qualify for a reduction in taxes under division (A) of section 323.152 of the Revised Code, the auditor shall notify the applicant, and the nonprofit corporation that owns and operates the housing cooperative, of the reasons for denial not later than the first Monday in October. If the applicant believes that the application for reduction has been improperly denied, or the nonprofit corporation that owns and operates the housing cooperative believes that the reduction is for less than that to which the housing cooperative is entitled, the applicant or housing cooperative, respectively, may file an appeal with the county board of revision not later than the date of closing of the collection for the first half of real and public utility property taxes. The appeal shall be treated in the same manner as a complaint relating to the valuation or assessment of real property under Chapter 5715. of the Revised Code.

Effective Date: 04-05-2001; 2008 HB130 04-07-2009 .