ELKHART — Many township assessors around Indiana will lose their jobs Tuesday.

It's part of a property tax relief program passed by state lawmakers earlier this year. Among other things, that bill called for the elimination of nearly 130 township assessor positions by July 1.

In addition, nine assessor's offices in St. Joseph County and one in Elkhart County will close their doors.

"We have been instructed to be out of our offices at the end of business today,” Becca Briscoe told WSBT News on Monday.

Briscoe is the Elkhart Township assessor. She's one of many assessors losing their jobs.

"Well certainly our constituents who voted us into office felt that they wanted a person here accountable to them and answerable to them,” she said. “Over the years, you gain a rapport with taxpayers, even if they are unhappy."

A total of five township assessors in Elkhart County are being cut: Elkhart, Osolo, Baugo, Cleveland and Middlebury townships. All of the supervisory work is now falling on the county assessor.

But, taxpayers will continue to go to their township assessor's offices to conduct business.

“They'll go to the same office — anything that they did previously can still be done at their same offices — that won't change,” explained Veronica Williams, deputy assessor for Elkhart County.

In addition to the five, the future of a sixth township assessor is still uncertain. For now the office of Concord Assessor, located in Elkhart, remains in limbo and will be decided in a referendum this coming November.

"The question would be whether we transfer the duties to the county assessor,” explained Concord Township Assessor Kris Rowe. “Our office has worked so hard to be taxpayer friendly that we’re not giving up for now. It’s not just about me; it’s about my staff of nine."

Those five offices in Elkhart County will stay open to answer general questions. So will the offices in Centre and Clay townships in St. Joseph County. Voters in Penn and Portage townships will decide in November whether to keep their assessors.