Triton School District, Etna Township Tax Bills Held Up By Marshall County
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Teresa Smith-tsmith@timesuniononline.com
Add citizens with property in the Triton School District, Etna Township and Etna Green to the list of people who won't receive a spring property tax bill.County Auditor Sue Ann Mitchell said Thursday that Marshall County tax levy rates won't be approved by the state in time for tax bills to go out this spring and probably not until fall.
Mitchell talked about the school districts' situation at a local government meeting. Elected, appointed and volunteer officials of county, city and town governments, schools, libraries, townships and fire department and emergency medical organizations have been meeting infrequently for the last few months.
With property tax changes in effect now and expected in the future, Winona Lake Clerk-Treasurer Retha Hicks invited people to get together and learn about the current evolution in government funding.
The Triton district crosses county lines and includes Kosciusko's Etna Township and Bourbon and Tippecanoe townships in Marshall County, just as Tippecanoe Valley School District shares tax revenue with Fulton County residents.
Harrison, Franklin and Seward townships in Kosciusko County and Newcastle and Henry townships in Fulton comprise the Tippecanoe Valley district.
The taxing units in these townships will not receive a June 30 distribution unless property owners voluntarily pay a spring tax installment. Then an advance distribution can be made, Mitchell said.
Provisional tax bills are not being allowed. The only other funding option for these libraries, towns and township offices is to borrow money.
Each county has been involved in the state's first market-based annual property tax adjustment.
Township and county assessors were to make adjustments by comparing 2004 and 2005 sales data in their area with 2002 assessed values. The amount of change between the two are used to create a factor that assessors used to update assessed values going back to 2002.
County assessors had until July 1 to submit the new assessments to county auditors for review. County auditors had an Aug. 1 deadline to send the new values to the state's Department of Local Government Finance.
Kosciusko County's final adjustments weren't forwarded to the state until a few weeks ago. Marshall and Fulton counties are even further behind.
Mitchell said she hopes the county receives state-approved tax rates by May 11. If that date is met, June 11 can be set for spring tax collection, with the exception of townships in Tippecanoe Valley and Triton school districts.
If June 11 is the spring tax collection date, taxing units can receive checks by June 30.
"We're very hopeful," Mitchell said.
There is a possible snag in the system if House Bill 1478 is approved by the legislature and the governor.
The bill increases the Homestead Credit for this year from 20 percent to 28 percent, and increases the homeowner's deduction from $45,000 to $50,000. Tax bills already issued would have to be reissued.
