TERRE HAUTE —
Vigo County is one of 26 Indiana counties yet to submit an assessment study, the first step in a process used to determine tax bills payable in 2013, according to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance.
County Assessor Debbie Lewis Tuesday told county commissioners she will send the sales ratio study to the state in two weeks. However, county Auditor Tim Seprodi voiced concern that will put the county two months behind in the budget certification and property tax bill process.
The county, Seprodi said, could then face issuing provisional property tax bills next spring, something the county narrowly avoided this year for tax bills that were due in May. Some employees in the auditor’s office worked overtime to finish the process to send out tax bills.
Lewis said the sales ratio study was delayed “through my own error” as it did not include all of the required sales of property, as the sales ratio study this year covers two years of sales — from March 2, 2010, through March 2, 2012 — instead of 14 months of sales.
“So I had to back in and pull out another 4,000 sales and that is what I am working through now,” Lewis told county commissioners.
The county assessor said this year required additional work as the county had a reassessment in addition to its normal property trending study, which tracts property sales to help better match property assessments with fair market values.
“We finished the reassessment close to 30 days behind schedule and have loaded in all the new [reassessment cost] tables in,” Lewis said. “It is data entering more than 60,000 parcels in a short period of time amid all the other responsibilities” of the office.
Lewis said she thinks the state has added more and more assessment responsibilities, studies and steps since 2006, but has not changed required deadlines. “There [are] not enough hours in the day to do the work,” she said. “I thought everyone did a commendable job in getting the data entered.”
County Commissioner Judith Anderson asked if overtime pay could be used to speed up entering computer reassessment data. Anderson said the auditor’s office used overtime pay to work to finish the budget and tax process last year. Lewis said the assessor’s county budget does not contain overtime funding.
Reporter Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.
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State office: Vigo County among 26 still to submit assessment
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