Lone tax bill likely

Jackson County property owners waiting to pay the first installment of their property taxes this year must continue to exercise patience.

Or pay in advance of receiving their bill.

The continued delay will likely result in just one tax payment deadline this year.

That's the word from county Treasurer Kathy Hohenstreiter, who said Wednesday she can relate to the frustrations of property owners.

"There's a lot of frustration here," Hohenstreiter said of her office.

This is the sixth year property tax statements have not gone out on time to allow property tax payers to make a May and November installment, as called for by state law.

Hohenstreiter said she was recently told by a state official to expect delays again in 2009.

Hohenstreiter said county officials submitted proposed tax rates to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance eight weeks ago.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the state had not sent approved rates.

Once the state approves rates the county auditor's office estimates, it will take about three weeks to enter the rates, calculate delinquencies and double-check for accuracy for each township. Then the information must be returned to the DLGF for final approval.

When Hohenstreiter receives word that that approval has been granted, she said it will take another two weeks to print and mail the statements. Once the bills are mailed, property tax payers have 15 days to pay the bill, according to state law.

Hohenstreiter said she would like to have been able to have time to mail two installments of property tax bills, but she expects she'll have to send just one.
"I'm thinking we will have one installment and a longer due date," she said.

That's only if the DLGF approves that plan, however.

There is some good news for local governmental units struggling to pay the bills without receiving a tax draw.

"We can issue them an advance draw," Hohenstreiter said.

That's because many property tax payers have been paying their bills, based upon 2007 rates. Anyone wishing to do the same may visit Hohenstreiter's office at the courthouse in Brownstown.

"I'm encouraging anyone that can pay even a little to do so," Hohenstreiter said.

Five governmental units, including both Jackson County and Brownstown public libraries as well as Seymour and Brownstown school corporations, have sought and received advance draws to help fund operations, Hohenstreiter said.

To request an advance draw, a governing unit must send letters to both Hohenstreiter's office as well as Auditor Debbie Eggeman's office.

Eggeman said before final budget approval came from the state a week ago, she could issue advance draws only in the amount of 70 percent of the approved budget for the governing unit. Now that budgets have been approved, Eggeman said she can issue advanced draws of up to 90 percent of the approved budget.

Jackson County is not the only one of the state's 92 counties that have not received notices that their tax rates have been approved.

As of Aug. 21, just 66 counties had final budget orders approving rates; six, including Jackson County, were awaiting final budget orders; four still had their budgets under review; and 13, including Clark, Washington and Floyd counties, were awaiting certified assessed valuations.

Two counties, Marion and Brown, have not even started the budget process, according to a certification map from the state available on the DLGF Web site.

At a glance

Jackson County officials are still awaiting state approval of tax bills so they can be printed and mailed.

The delay will likely mean property owners will have just one payment deadline this year rather than two.

Property owners may make advance payments based on last year's bills if they choose.