08-29-2003Kosciusko County residents soon will learn what their new property tax rates – and property tax bills – will be.
“We have sent the assessed value figures to the state department of government finance. Those were mailed (Tuesday),” said county auditor Sue Ann Mitchell in an interview Wednesday. “They’re saying it will take about a three-week turnaround time to get rates back. If that’s the case, we should have rates back probably around Sept. 15. Taxing entities are then given seven days to approve or reject or change their tax rate, which would mean by Sept. 22 or thereabouts, we should have certified rates.”
After that, the county puts the numbers into its computer to calculate property tax bills. The entire county will not be billed simultaneously because school corporations – Whitko, Wa-Nee, Triton and Tippecanoe Valley – cross county lines .
In those cases, both counties must share assessed valuation information before the rates can be set for the schools.
This is causing a problem for the computer company that is processing the tax bills.
“The real issue is at this point, the computer company has to be able to calculate bills at different times,” Mitchell said, and currently they are unable to do so.
“If the computer program is functional, we should be able to have bills out I would say not any later than the second week in October, probably the latest ... around the middle of October,” said Mitchell.
The tax bills then will be due Nov. 10.
After residents receive their assessment, they have 45 days to appeal. If they do not receive their assessment in advance of their tax bill, they have 45 days to appeal after they receive their tax bill.
Tippecanoe, Turkey Creek, Wayne and Plain Townships have mailed or are planning to mail assessments. The remaining 13 townships do not plan to send assessments until rates are determined.
Mitchell said those 13 township assessors felt it would be better for the taxpayers if they could see actual dollar figures.
To appeal, taxpayers must have an official appraisal from a certified appraiser that states the market value of the property.
“Actually, with all of the refinancing that has happened,” Mitchell said, “there should be a lot of appraisals available to people. Anybody who has refinanced their home has had to have an appraisal done and that would be something one could put into evidence (on appeal).”
Mitchell offered several points of advice to property owners regarding appeals.
“They need to obviously look at the value assigned to their home and determine whether they believe it’s what their property would be worth if it was sold. If they do not agree with that, they need to have some sort of appraisal,” Mitchell said. “And then they would need to file a form with the county assessor, which is an appeal Form 130, listing reasons why their assessed value is too high, not just that it’s too high.”
Before a property owner files an appeal, Mitchell said, they need to get a property record card and make sure the information on their property is correct – measurements of home, plumbing in place, etc.
County Assessor Laurie Renier said Thursday the property owners need to provide evidence of an innacurate assessment.
“You have to have documentation to back that up,” said Renier. That documentation can include, among other evidence, appraisals, date of sale and sale price, closing statement, sales disclosures, or sale of a property comparable to the property assessed in question.
“Any reassessment is a mass appraisal. Every parcel in the county has been looked at,” Renier said.
The Form 130 is presented to the county assessor and forwarded to the township assessor. An informal hearing is set with the township assessor. Both sides try to work out any disagreements before a determination is made. Once a determination is made, that determination is provided to the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals. That board approves or denies the changes assigned by the township, Renier said.
If the changes are approved, the taxpayer will receive a notice of determination and changes are made in the assessed value of the property.
If the board denies the changes, an appeal can be made to the Indiana Board of Tax Review within 30 days. That decision, too, can be appealed – to tax court.
Of two of the townships that have sent out assessments, Renier said her office has received only five requests for appeals so far. Asked if that was typical, she said, “This isn’t a normal year. There’s no way to know yet.”
Most people, she said, are waiting until they receive their tax rate and what taxes are going to do.
Mitchell also stressed how important it is for property owners to file for all the exemptions in which they qualify. Those exemptions include: mortgage with a maximum amount of $3,000; homestead credit, $35,000; standard deduction, $35,000; over 65, $6,000; blind, $6,000; disabled, $6,000; veteran, total disability, $6,000; veteran, partially disability, service connected, $12,000; veteran of World War I, $9,000; and spouse of a WWI veteran, $9,000.
“The big one, the important one, is the homestead credit,” said Mitchell. “The $35,000 is a big change over the last (time). Before it was $6,000. The important thing is that if they have applied for it once, they don’t have to reapply.”
An extension on the filing time for the exemption by the state legislature has been suggested, she said.
So far, the extension is not not for 2002 taxes payable 2003, but possibly for 2003 taxes payable 2004.
The deadline for filing for exemptions for 2003 payable 2004 was May 10.
But if the state offers the extention, the deadline would be extended to Dec. 1.
That would mean anyone who filed from May 10 to Dec. 1 and owned the property on the first day of March in 2003, would qualify for the exemption for 2004, Mitchell said.