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June 18, 2008

Victims may qualify for tax relief

By Arthur E. Foulkes

TERRE HAUTE — Property tax relief may be available for victims of this month’s flash flooding, a Vigo County official said Wednesday.

People who suffered significant damage to taxable property can file for a reassessment of their property, said Debbie Lewis, Vigo County assessor. “We want to give relief where we can give relief,” she said.

Any reduction in taxes caused by a reassessment would show up in the property tax bills payable in 2009. It would not affect taxes due this year, Lewis said.

Taxpayers can file for the reassessment using a Form 137R, which is available at the assessor’s office in the Vigo County Annex building on First Street, Lewis said. The forms also are available online through the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance Web site at www.IN.gov/dlgf. “It’s just another effort for the state to give some type of relief,” she said.

“With no income, how are you supposed to pay [property taxes] this year?” asked Jerry Modesitt, owner of the Terre Haute Bowling Center on Springhill Drive, which was shut down and badly damaged by the flooding. Still, Modesitt said he plans to file for the property tax reassessment. “I went down [Wednesday] and got the form,” he said.

The bowling center suffered “a couple of million” dollars in damage when several inches of floodwaters covered the lanes, Modesitt said. In addition to being shut down, the center has had to lay off around 15 employees, he said. “That’s been sad,” he said.

Filing Form 137R is not a guarantee a property owner will receive a property tax reassessment, Lewis said. She encourages people filing for a reassessment to keep all documentation showing the flood damage they suffered, including photographs, insurance claims, repair bills and other documentation from local, state and federal agencies.

In addition to homes and businesses, some property, such as recreational vehicles, all-terrain vehicles and farm equipment, will be eligible for reassessment, Lewis said. However, furniture and other nontaxable property is not eligible, she said.

“It’s a new process for us,” Lewis said. All petitions for reassessment must be signed and filed by the property owner, she said, adding that all petitions will be reviewed individually. “Every one of these has to be figured out on a case-by-case basis,” she said.

Lewis is cautioning taxpayers not to rush the process of filing. The state recommends filing within 12 months of the disaster.

“We’ve never had anything of this magnitude in this county,” Lewis said, adding this is the first time her office has dealt with this sort of disaster. “It’s a learning experience,” she said.

Modesitt said property taxes on the Bowling Center are significant and without any income it will be tough to pay this year’s bill. Still, he has had good experiences working with the assessor’s office in the past he said, and is hopeful about the possible reassessment.

Meanwhile, Modesitt still does not know if the bowling center, which was a week away from its 31st anniversary when the flood occurred, will reopen. If you would have asked him last week, he would have said there was no way the center could reopen, he said, adding now he is much more optimistic. “I have to make a decision,” he said.

Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.

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