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The 2003 tax distribution and the 2004 property reassessment are hitting some snags.
Due to a computer problem, Kosciusko County Auditor Sue Ann Mitchell told the Kosciusko County Council Thursday, her office has been unable to give out all the 2003 tax distributions to the local taxing entities.
While the final total of the distributions for all the taxing entities is approximately $77 million, and the county has given out most of that, Mitchell said, because of the computer glitch, the distribution of $1,177 is in question. And until that money is settled, Mitchell said, the state won't allow the county to complete the distribution.
"We're still trying to finalize that," she said.
For the 2004 property reassessment, Mitchell said, they expect the assessed values to be received by the county assessor by March 1 and then the assessor can roll back those values to the county auditor. Those are values that should have been to the auditor by August, but problems with last year's reassessment have delayed that.
Mitchell presented the council with a calendar of when she hopes points of the reassessment will be completed.
"A lot of this is out of our hands," she said. The bottom line, she said, is the county is going to be delayed in the amount of money the county will get and when they are going to get tax distributions out to the taxing entities.
If it doesn't come together by July, Mitchell said, the county may have to look again at doing another provisional billing for property taxes.
Councilman Larry Teghtmeyer asked how many years it is going to take for the county to be back on target with the taxes. Mitchell said hopefully in another year.
As for the 2003 annual report, she said, the county still has slightly under $2 million in its county general fund but expects to receive more than $2 million additional in the last distribution. The county still is cash solvent.
By the end of 2003, she said, they thought they would have $157,000 in the cumulative jail fund, but actually ended up with $476,000.
"We're in pretty good shape with the cumulative money," she said.
The county is where they thought they would be with the Economic Development Income Tax money.
In other business, the council:
• Heard the increase in Economic Development Income Tax must be adopted at the March 17 meeting if the inventory tax that was removed last year is to be replaced.
• Tabled the CVB commission's proposal on its 2004 budget to a later date.
• Approved an additional appropriation of $80,000 for the county surveyor's department to purchase Global Positioning System equipment. Funds were requested in 2003 for the purchase but the purchase was not made. The money includes funds for a permanent GPS base station to be mounted on the county courthouse.
• Approved a transfer of $10,000 for the county sheriff's department from law enforcement forfeitures to capital outlay.
• Approved a transfer for the county recorder from a deputy position to a part-time position. Because of new software purchased, fewer employees are needed because the recorder's office no longer does their own filming of records.
• Tabled a request to transfer $1,000 from the county coroner's office from supplies to meet a matching grant from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation for the purchase of four digital cameras.
• Added $14,697.50 in insurance proceeds to vehicles and $2,937.45 to repairs for the county sheriff's department; added $1,107.92 back to the sheriff's department for gas and oil from the surveyor's office for gasoline used.
• Approved an additional appropriation of $16,300 for the county prosecutor from infraction deferral program for the county sheriff for vehicle supplies.
• Approved an additional appropriation of $23,168.72 for the prosecutor from pretrial diversion to the county general payroll account for pay of the part-time prosecutor.
• Approved an additional appropriation of $2,500 for the alcohol and drug use program for equipment.
• Approved a request from county treasurer Stephanie Esenwein to increase part-time wage for a prior full-time employee from $8.25 per hour to $9 per hour.
• Approved to move their March meeting from March 11 to March 17 at 7 p.m. in the county courthouse, Warsaw.
Members of the Kosciusko County Council present Thursday included Larry Teghtmeyer, Harold Jones, Charlene Knispel, Maurice Beer, Brad Tandy and John Kinsey. Not present was Tom Anglin.
For more information about Kosciusko County officeholders or departments, visit online at www.kcgov.com
