When an assessment or a portion of an assessment is ordered rebated and abated then the individual assessments which have been paid, or partially paid, shall be reduced in the same proportions as the unpaid assessments so that no inequity will result from the payment or prepayment of an assessment or an installment of an assessment. The persons who, on the date of the filing of the petition, owned the land or other property with respect to which rebates are payable are the persons entitled to receive such rebates. When an assessment against a tract of land or other property is reduced, and that assessment has been fully paid, the owner is entitled to a rebate of the amount by which the assessment against his land is reduced. When such an assessment is so reduced and the assessment has been partially paid and such partial payment exceeds the assessment as reduced, the owner is entitled to a rebate of the amount by which such partial payment exceeds the assessment as reduced and the unpaid balance of the assessment shall be abated. When such an assessment is so reduced and the assessment is unpaid, or the assessment has been partially paid but such partial payment does not exceed the assessment as reduced, the owner is not entitled to any rebate but his assessment shall abate in the amount by which it is reduced.
The roll of rebated, or rebated and abated, assessments shall set forth, as to each tract of land or other property, (a) the name of the owner on the date of the filing of the petition, (b) a description of each tract or other property, (c) the amount of the assessment as originally levied, (d) the amount of the assessment paid, (e) the amount of any interest or penalty paid, (f) the amount proposed to be rebated, if any, (g) the amount proposed to be abated, if any, (h) the amount remaining to be collected, if any.
A petition to rebate, or to rebate and abate, an assessment, or a portion of an assessment, under the provisions of Section 5-27 or 5-28 may be accompanied by a roll of rebated, or rebated and abated, assessments and, if the petition is so accompanied by such a roll, the court shall hear any issues arising on the roll at the time of the hearing on the petition.
If the petition is not accompanied by such a roll, or if the petition was filed under Section 5-29, 10-1 or 10-2, then the court at the time of ordering the rebate, or the rebate and abatement, of the assessment or a portion thereof shall continue the proceeding to a day certain for the filing of the roll. If the commissioners have not filed their roll before the day to which the proceeding was continued, then successive continuances may be granted. After the roll has been filed, the court, on the day to which the proceeding was continued, shall fix the date and hour for the hearing on the roll and no further notice need be given.
The hearing on the roll shall be by the court without a jury; except that where only a portion of the work has been abandoned under the provisions of Section 10-2, then any party may have a trial by jury on the roll of rebated and abated assessments if a demand for a jury is made at or before the time the court fixed the date and hour for hearing on the roll.
At the hearing any person interested may appear and object. At the conclusion of the hearing, if heard without a jury, the court may confirm the roll without change, modify the roll and confirm the roll as modified or enter such other order as may appear proper under the evidence. If the roll is heard by a jury, then the verdict of the jury shall be confirmed by the court. Motions for new trials or in arrest of judgment or for judgment notwithstanding the verdict may be made, filed and determined within the time and in the manner provided in other actions under the Civil Practice Law.
When the order confirming a roll of rebated, or rebated and abated, assessments has become final, the treasurer of the district shall pay over to the persons named in the roll the amount of the rebates to which they are entitled, as disclosed by the roll, and when so paid, no liability shall attach to the district, the commissioners or the treasurer by reason of the fact that the persons receiving such payments were not in fact the owners of the land on the date of the filing of the petition. If the name or the whereabouts of the owner of any tract is unknown or if the owner is under legal disability and has no legal representative, then the district treasurer may, upon order of the court, deposit the amount of the rebate due such owner with the County Treasurer of the county in which the district was organized, and the liability of the district, the commissioners and the treasurer to make such payment shall thereupon cease. The County Treasurer shall, upon demand, pay the same to the party entitled thereto, taking his receipt therefor.
Upon the confirmation of a roll of rebated and abated assessments, the lands and other properties shall be released of the lien of the assessment to the extent by which the individual assessments were reduced.
70 ILCS 605/5-30