What does the state have to certify regarding tax rates?

by Kirk Mason (mason@wsbt.com)

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St. Joseph County residents are still waiting to receive their property tax bills. (WSBT photo)

Story Created: Nov 24, 2008 at 4:35 PM EST

Story Updated: Nov 24, 2008 at 6:29 PM EST

MISHAWAKA — People living in St. Joseph and Elkhart counties have been concerned about late arriving property tax bills. Local leaders were waiting for the state to certify tax rates.

A viewer asked a Good Question: “What is it that the state has to certify regarding tax rates?”

WSBT's Kirk Mason looked into it.

When you see a property tax bill for your home in the mail depends a lot on local officials, but also on something called Indiana's Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF).

"The entire property tax system relies on many different parts to run smoothly, and when there are delays at any point in the process, that delay can cause a domino effect," explained a spokesperson for the DLGF.

Property taxes on homes start with local governments looking at trending and assessments. It's to ensure that fair market values are used. That rate is submitted to the state and the state must approve those values. Then the local county assessor is given the gross assessed values.

Once that happens, the county auditor applies tax exemptions which homeowners are familiar with — deductions or tax abatements that can come from new building projects. That determines the net assessed values, which is what a tax rate is based on. That information is then sent back to the state.

It is at that point the state begins processing a county's budget and calculating preliminary rates. Once these rates are set — in St. Joseph County's case it was October 29 — there is a two-week comment period that follows. After that, a public hearing must happen. It is then that the state can issue the tax rates.

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