April 17, 2004

The bill's in the mail

       Just when you thought tax day was over. Today, more than 38,000 Johnson County property owners will begin receiving property tax bills and have until May 10 to fork over hundreds of dollars to fund county government, parks, libraries, cities and schools.  The money is used for such services as street repair, construction of new fire stations and schools and public safety.  Tax rates increased an average of 13 percent.  Money collected from property owners is divided up among the government units in the county, depending on the location of the property and the amount of money needed to fund government services.  For example, a White River Township resident could pay property taxes for township government, Center Grove schools, the county library, Greenwood city government, the White River Township Fire Protection District and county government.  The rates are determined when a city or town council or governing board approves a spending budget for the following year. State government approves the budget, sets the total worth of all property in the district and determines the tax rate. Property owners pay the rate for every $100 of assessed valuation. Deductions, homestead credits and other credits are also factored in.  Homeowners living in the Bargersville or White River Township fire protection districts will pay nearly double the amount of taxes to fund the fire departments.  This summer, the White River Township fire department will hire 19 new firefighters. The increase in staffing will more than double the number of full-time firefighters responding to emergency calls.  After three years of asking state officials to raise taxes so the department could afford to hire more firefighters, property taxpayers this year will pay an additional $1.7 million to fund, for the most part, additional firefighters’ salaries. For example, the hike in the rate will mean owners of a home assessed at $100,000 will notice about a $44 increase in their tax bills this year.  The rate for the Bargersville Fire Department increased 90 percent.  Bargersville residents living within town limits will see a 37 percent increase in the rate to fund town government.  The additional money raised by the higher rate will fund a park board in its efforts to construct the town’s first park, clerk-treasurer Gayle Allard said. The park board was established in 2003.  Starting this year the town must pay back money borrowed for street repairs. The town council issued a $412,000 general-obligation bond for street repair and reconstruction. The streets in the worst condition probably will be repaired first, Allard said, including some streets in Three-Notch subdivision. The bond will be paid off in 2014.  Whiteland town residents will see a decrease in what they pay to fund town government. The town has proposed a more than 30 percent increase in property taxes, but the state cut the tax rate by 13 percent instead.  Most of the cuts affected a fund used to repave streets, but road repairs are also made with other funds the town council can supplement. The cut probably won’t affect services, clerk-treasurer Michelle Gabehart said.  Property owners may pay all their property taxes due in 2004 in one installment, or may pay the second installment by Nov. 10.  A private company this year sorted the property tax bills and delivered them to the post office in Franklin on Friday. Their work saved the county $1,800, county treasurer Jan Richhart said. The company’s work also prevented county employees from spending several hours sorting the bills and preparing them for delivery.  Property owners are responsible for paying their taxes even if they do not receive a bill. Homeowners who pay their property taxes through their monthly mortgage payments should also check with their mortgage companies to be sure the bills have been paid, county auditor Brenda Jones-Matthews said.
 

---