Town of Johnston, RI Homestead Exemption

Any homeowner who knowingly signs a false affidavit affirming the residency of a child for the purpose of aiding that child in attending the Johnston Public Schools shall, upon a determination of the Rhode Island Commissioner for Education that the child is not a resident of Johnston, be:

(1)

Subject to permanent revocation of any homestead exemption that the homeowner receives with regard to the subject property;

(2)

Liable to the Town of Johnston for the full amount of the homestead exemption received during the length of time in which the child was wrongly enrolled in the Johnston Public Schools, plus a penalty at a rate of 6% per annum in accordance with § 307-12; and

(3)

Liable to the Town of Johnston for the per-pupil cost of educating the child as published annually by the Rhode Island Department of Education, which shall be prorated to account for the length of time during which the child was wrongly enrolled in the Johnston Public Schools.

The Johnston Public Schools shall require a complete and updated Affidavit Affirming Residency for each student enrolled in the Johnston Public Schools in the form of the affidavit attached hereto as 307 Attachment 1.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: Said affidavit is included as an attachment to this chapter.

Any investigations as may be required to determine violations of this article shall be under the jurisdiction of the Police Department.

Upon the recordation of a foreclosure deed by a financial institution, including but not limited to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation, or any such public or private entity, the Recorder of Deeds shall notify the Tax Assessor of said foreclosure deed, and the Tax Assessor shall immediately revoke any homestead exemption existing on the property, based upon the presumption that the subject property is no longer owner-occupied.