County Auditor Sue Ann Mitchell brought the county council up to date regarding spring tax disbursements at Thursday's meeting.
"It's very unlikely the rate will be timely because of trending issues," Mitchell said.
Trending is the use of sales disclosure amounts to establish the value of property.
County assessors had until July 1 to submit the new assessments to county auditors for review. County auditors had until Aug. 1 to send the documents to the Department of Local Government Finance. The county's assessed values are used to approve budgets and certify tax rates.
The county's information wasn't forwarded to the state until last month. Because of this delay the state has decided to withhold more than $363,000 in property tax replacement credits.
Mitchell said if the state sets rates for 2006 pay 2007, the property tax bills could, at the very earliest, be sent out a couple of weeks late and the June 30 tax distributions could be paid.
"That, quite frankly, would take a miracle," Mitchell said.
Instead, the likely scenario is provisional tax bills will be mailed at a estimated rate - 90 percent of last year's payments. Personal property and mobile home tax bills will not be sent.
Mitchell and County Assessor Laurie Renier explained the state has found county data out of compliance because of Manatron software.
The auditor's software shows property key numbers and the assessor's office shows parcel numbers and these identifiers were OK for figures in 2003 (pay 2004) and 2004 (pay 2005) but not 2005 (pay 2006).
Mitchell said her software package is different from the assessor's software. The two "packages" don't "talk" to one another.
Councilman Bob Sanders said the computer software situation was unacceptable.
"Why, with all the money we send to the state, can't they come up with a computer system that works?" he asked.
The council heard from Prairie Township Trustee-Assessor Julie Goon requesting the deputy assessor's per diem pay be available to trustees who do the deputy assessor work.
Goon explained that many trustee-assessors have a deputy assessor and do the assessing work themselves.
She suggested that the word "deputy" be removed and just have an assessor account.
The deputy assessor work is paid an $84.87 per diem rate. Township taxes pay the trustee position. The county pays trustee-assessors to oversee assessment work. The county also sets the per diem rate for deputy assessors in the annual salary ordinance.
Councilman Larry Teghtmeyer asked the council to table the proposal until an hourly rate could be established by a wage committee.
"Our work day is 7-1/2 hours," he said. "We don't want to get into an overtime situation."
Goon said the work couldn't be looked at as an hourly position.
"I'm paid $5,300 per year to oversee the assessments," she said. "There are no set hours, this is an elected office to see the work gets done, just like your office as councilman. I can't look at my job by the day or by the hour."
Goon said the state considers per diem pay from three to 24 hours worked.
The council also:
• Approved additional appropriations:
- For the county highway department, as requested by Dennis Pletcher, $400,000 from the cumulative bridge account.
- For the prosecutor's office, tabled from January because no representative appeared, as requested by Dan Hampton, $34,079 for a part-time prosecutor; and $13,615 for a copy machine.
• Transfers of:
- For the highway department as requested by Dennis Pletcher, $350,000 from bridge replacement to small structure replacement.
- For the Title IV D, as requested by Dan Hampton, $695, from IV-D caseworker to IV-D caseworker because the experience level of the caseworker should have been set higher and two transfers for $1,321, from IV-D investigator to IV-D caseworker, also because the experience level of the caseworker should have been higher.
- For the Plain Township assessor, $600, as requested by Susan Stookey, to cover expenses of a January conference and for future continuing education.
• Approved the sheriff's contract with William "Rocky" Goshert in the amount of $92,226.
• An amendment to the economic development income tax rainy day fund ordinance establishing expenditures for the redevelopment commission budget; to pay off the Maple Leaf tax increment financing bond in the amount of $358,925. Money will be repaid to the fund as tax levies are collected.; and a temporary loan for the children's psychiatric fund in the amount of $82,182.08 until the spring tax distribution.
• Declared dormant the Willodean Kinkaid fund. The account hasn't been used in more than seven years. The balance of $375.52 will be transferred to the county's general fund.
County council members are Harold Jones, Tom Anglin, Charlene Knispel, John Kinsey, Bob Sanders, Larry Teghtmeyer and Brad Tandy.
