"Housing authority" means either a housing authority created under the Housing Authorities Act or other government agency that is authorized by the United States government under the United States Housing Act of 1937 to administer a housing choice voucher program, or the authorized agent of such a housing authority that is authorized to act upon that authority's behalf.
"Housing choice voucher" means a tenant voucher issued by a housing authority under Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 and a tenant voucher converted to a project-based voucher by a housing authority.
"Housing opportunity area" means a census tract where less than 10% of the residents live below the poverty level, as defined by the United States government and determined by the most recent United States census, that is located within a qualified township, except for census tracts located within any township that is located wholly within a municipality with 1,000,000 or more inhabitants. A census tract that is located within a township that is located wholly within a municipality with 1,000,000 or more inhabitants is considered a housing opportunity area if less than 12% of the residents of the census tract live below the poverty level.
"Housing opportunity unit" means a dwelling unit located in residential property that is located in a housing opportunity area, that is owned by the applicant, and that is rented to and occupied by a tenant who is participating in a housing choice voucher program administered by a housing authority as of January 1st of the tax year for which the application is made.
"Qualified units" means the number of housing opportunity units located in the property with the limitation that no more than 2 units or 20% of the total units contained within the property, whichever is greater, may be considered qualified units. Further, no unit may be considered qualified unless the property in which it is contained is in substantial compliance with local building codes, and, moreover, no unit may be considered qualified unless it meets the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's housing quality standards as of the most recent housing authority inspection.
"Qualified township" means a township located within a county with 200,000 or more inhabitants whose tax capacity exceeds 80% of the average tax capacity of the county in which it is located, except for townships located within a county with 3,000,000 or more inhabitants, where a qualified township means a township whose tax capacity exceeds 115% of the average tax capacity of the county except for townships located wholly within a municipality with 1,000,000 or more inhabitants. All townships located wholly within a municipality with 1,000,000 or more inhabitants are considered qualified townships.
"Tax capacity" means the equalized assessed value of all taxable real estate located within a township or county divided by the total population of that township or county.
The housing authority shall establish rules and procedures governing the application processes and may charge an application fee. The county clerk may audit the applications to determine that the properties subject to the tax abatement meet the requirements of this Section. The determination of eligibility of a property for the housing opportunity area abatement shall be made annually; however, no property may receive an abatement for more than 10 tax years.
The county clerk shall deliver annually to a housing authority, upon that housing authority's request, the most recent available equalized assessed value for the county as a whole and for those taxing districts and townships so specified by the requesting housing authority.
35 ILCS 200/18-173