Officials Seek Answers in St. Joseph County Property Tax Mess

by Samuel King (king@wsbt.com)

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Officials Seek Answers in St. Joseph County Property Tax Mess

By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Sep 6, 2007 at 11:51 AM EST

Story Updated: Sep 6, 2007 at 5:37 PM EST

(WSBT) St. Joseph County commissioners tried to get answers Thursday about the ongoing property tax mess.

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They met with the county assessor and the township assessors.

They wanted to know whether it was the county's fault that the property tax rates have not been set yet.

Property tax bills can't be sent out until the rates are set. And the frustration is felt across the area. LaPorte, Porter, Pulaski and Fulton counties have not gotten their rates either.

The county assessor said all of the required data has been sent to the state, and that St. Joseph County has a better record than other counties where rates have been sent.

“Why would you say this is a reason to hold tax rates back when other counties have the same issues or more and have budget orders issued?” asked David Wesolowski, the county assessor.

Commissioner Steve Ross suspects politics is involved.

“That's an indication to me they don't know what they're doing and there may be some political motivation in the way they're behaving,” Ross said.

Commissioners also wanted an update on the appeals process. Assessors said it went well, despite some early glitches.

“We were extremely busy,” said Gail Budzinksi, German Township Assessor. “I'm a very small township and we had approximately 100 appeals. I have 10 more to hear, and we'll be done with this first round. But they have to patient with us and give us time to get our work done.”

A spokesperson from the Department of Local Government and Finance says the paperwork is in their office, but she was unsure when the auditors would be finished.

The assessors are expecting a rush of appeals when the tax bills are actually sent. If you haven't already appealed your assessment, you can still do so. The county is also asking people to pay an estimated tax bill based on what they paid last year. The bills are tentatively scheduled to be due November 13.

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