[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=54042.39

Tax Bills May Be Sent In A Month

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

La PORTE - The La Porte County treasurer's office hopes to send homeowner tax bills in about a month.

Mike Mauer, chief deputy treasurer for La Porte County, said Wednesday the 2006 tax bills payable in 2007 cannot be issued until the county's tax rate is confirmed. Mauer said it is difficult to predict exactly when the tax rate will be determined.

Neighboring St. Joseph County mailed its tax bills Tuesday.

The tax rate is based on the assessed values submitted by La Porte County Auditor Teresa Shuter to the state's Department of Local Government Finance on Sept. 28. Shuter said she checks to see all exemptions are applied to each property before sending them to the DLGF.

The DLGF checks the county's assessed values to make sure a fair assessment has been done. The tax rate is based on the total assessed values and the anticipated county spending, or levy. The tax rate, when multiplied against the assessed property values, must equal the amount of anticipated county-wide spending.

County treasurer Ken Layton and his staff are responsible for creating the tax bills and sending them to county taxpayers.



Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com.

[Roger Kaputnik]

Get ready for all the whining about paying taxes on top-dollar property...

[TSNSPYDER]

What is the tax rate in MC?
I think my tax bill in AZ comes to around .008 times what the house is valued at.

[Roger Kaputnik]

You have to look at the total tax picture; some states have very low property tax rates but high rates for other taxes.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/10428192.html

There’s more frustration for taxpayers in LaPorte County. They're still waiting on their property tax bills, and it could be weeks before they're sent out. That's also holding up tax bills for six townships on the western edge of St. Joseph County. Some school corporations cross county lines there.

Wednesday’s special at B&J's American Cafe in LaPorte: grilled reuben with a side of onion rings, cole slaw, and anger about the property tax delays.

“I wish they would get on the ball, so we can get our taxes when we're supposed to,” said Virginia Klein of LaPorte.

LaPorte County isn't expected to send out tax bills for at least another four weeks, meaning the entire payment for the year would be due sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“We try to budget for it throughout the year, now we're going to get hit hard at Christmas time,” said Bruce Fisher, of Michigan City. “It's not a good idea, but I don't know what the other solution is to the problem.”

Cities and townships in LaPorte County can't wait for residents to pay those tax bills. The city of LaPorte for example has had to borrow $5 million to keep city government running, money it will have to pay back with interest once the tax bills come on.

Some people have already paid a little bit of their tax bills, allowing some money to flow into government.

“I've paid a little, but not near what I have to pay, because I don't know what I have to pay,” Klein said.

Tax bills here, like elsewhere across the state, are expected to increase. If LaPorte County's rate isn't set soon, St. Joseph County may have to extend the payment deadline for people in the six townships still waiting to receive their bills. As it stands now, the bills are due November 13