Spring tax deadline

May 09, 2008 12:01 am

— Staff report
The Lebanon Reporter
Boone County Treasurer Deanna Willhoite is reminding taxpayers that property taxes will not be due Saturday.
Normally tax bills are due in May and again in November, with some people paying the entire bill in the spring. But because of recent changes made by the state, Boone and many other Indiana counties are not prepared to make the billing.
According to Willhoite, several steps still need to be completed before an alternate due date is established.
While county and state offices continue through this process, the treasurer is also preparing for the possibility of mailing provisional tax statements to each taxpayer, which will be based on a percentage of 2006 taxes paid in 2007. Provisional tax statements and the new property tax comparison statements are in the final design stages by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance. The new tax forms must then be programmed into each Indiana county’s billing system.
The steps being followed are:
n The county assessor submits trending data to Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) for approval. This step occurred in April.
n The DLGF approves/rejects trending data.
n The county assessor certifies the gross assessed values to county auditor.
n The county auditor submits Tax Increment Finance (TIF) Neutralization data to the state for approval.
n The state approves/rejects TIF Neutralization data.
n The county auditor certifies Net Assessed Values to State of Indiana.
n The state issues 1782 Notices (including budgets, rates, and levies) to local units of government. Units have one week from date of receipt to appeal or make adjustments.
n The state approves County Budget Order and releases tax rates to the county auditor.
n The county auditor advertises tax rates. Rates must be advertised for three consecutive weeks before the tax statements are mailed out.
n The county treasurer processes and mails the tax statements at least 15 days before established due date.
Taxpayers do have the option to make advance payments if they so choose. Payments may be made payable to the Boone County Treasurer’s Office, 209 Courthouse Square, Lebanon, IN 46052.
For continued updates, taxpayers may call the treasurer’s office at (765)482-2880, or visit the Boone County website at www.boonecounty.in.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=335.