Tax abatement applications available now

If you're a flood victim who lost the use of your home and want forgiveness for your property taxes, there's an app for that.

The Linn County Supervisors released applications for tax abatement Friday. Hard copies will be available at county offices at Westdale Mall, city offices at AEGON USA, the Cedar Rapids Assessor's Office, the Chamber of Commerce, the city Water Department, the library and several other places.

The forms include 15 questions, must be notarized and are due Oct. 1.

Linn County West could be a one-stop shop. The applications must be either hand-delivered to the Linn County Treasurer's Office at 2500 Edgewood Rd. SW or mailed to the Linn County Treasurer, 930 First St. SW.

False answers on the form could result in criminal prosecution.

Flooded property owners can only apply for an abatement for the period of time they lost the use of their property. The owner must have been the legal titleholder on June 13, 2008, and cannot have sold the property since the flood.

The forms can be downloaded at www.gazetteonline.com or www.linncounty.org, where a full list of locations will be provided.

Linn County, the city of Cedar Rapids, the Cedar Rapids school district and the city of Palo will not know how much money tax abatements will cost their respective budgets until the forms are received and processed and abatements granted.