[Ang]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2012/0...46141519080.txt

Taxpayers have several options for payment

Staff Reports
Published: Friday, April 6, 2012 5:07 PM CDT
LA PORTE - The La Porte County Treasurer's office today mailed the 2011-pay-2012 provisional tax bills.

The first installment will be due on or before May 10 and the second by Nov. 13. County offices are closed today in observance of Good Friday. Payments will be accepted beginning Monday.

La Porte County Treasurer Nancy Hawkins said in a press release this provisional bill was calculated based on 100 percent of the 2007-pay-2008 reconciliation bill that was sent in February. Deductions that were filed by taxpayers in 2011 were used in the calculations. Properties identified as homesteads have been adjusted to reflect the one percent property tax cap and all other properties reflect a two percent property tax cap.

This is not the final 2012 tax bill, according to the treasurer's office. The reconciliation bill will include a detailed comparison statement.

Hawkins said payments for this tax bill, as with all tax bills, may be made in a variety of ways.

Payments can be made at any La Porte County branch of Horizon Bank by presenting the payment and the tax coupon.

Payments also can be mailed to P. O. Box J, Michigan City, Ind. 46361-0319. If a receipt is needed, a stamped, self-addressed envelope must be included.

The treasurer's office maintains drop boxes at both the Michigan City and La Porte courthouses and payments will be accepted at the drop boxes through 3:30 p.m. on the final due date.

Payments also can be made in person at either the treasurer's La Porte office at 555 Michigan Ave. or the Michigan City office at 302 W. Eighth St. However, taxpayers should be aware that long lines may be encountered when paying in person at the treasurer's office and therefore, taxpayers are encouraged to use one of the alternatives listed above, Hawkins noted.

The Treasurer's Office can be reached by telephone at (219) 326-6808, ext. 2245, or in Michigan City at (219) 874-5611, ext. 7782.

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2012/0...e2918775275.txt

County treasurer responds to state auditor's 'political' statements

By Nancy Hawkins
La Porte County Treasurer, guest columnist
Published: Tuesday, April 3, 2012 5:06 PM CDT
This is in response to State Auditor Tim Berry’s comments in an article on Sunday, March 25, in the News-Dispatch and on Monday, March 26 in the Herald-Argus.

I find Mr. Berry’s comments very politically biased. I would like to remind Mr. Berry that the county taxes were in a shambles and several years behind schedule when Mr. Hinchman and I took over these offices from Republicans in January of 2009 and we have spent three years dealing with the problems and trying to make headway in getting caught up.

This tax problem is not a Republican or Democrat problem. It is a problem for all of the taxpayers of La Porte County. It is a problem for the employees in the three offices - assessor, auditor and treasurer - who deal with the property tax mess every day.

It is a problem for home buyers and sellers and real estate agents and mortgage companies and title companies. It is a problem for our economic development agencies. Although I believe that politics played a part in getting us into this situation, it was just one component of many that created the problem.

Click here to find out more!
And I don’t believe that politics can get us out of our jam. We should not be wasting our time pointing fingers at Democrats or Republicans. Instead, we should be working together to resolve the problem.

Mr. Berry points out in the article that his office just last week “authorized the county to distribute to local taxing bodies the money raised from the 2007 tax bills payable in 2008”. What Mr. Berry failed to mention is the fact that, per state statute, that distribution was to be done by April 13, not March 22. A lot of people, both at the county offices and at our tax software vendor’s offices, worked long hours over the weekend and long hours into the night for four days last week to get the job done three weeks early. This shows the dedication of our employees and the desire of county officials to get the job done.

Mr. Berry says he sent us an e-mail in December of 2010 to offer three plans for getting caught up and we did not respond. Quite frankly, I don’t remember emails from over a year ago and whether I responded or not. But if you talk to the hundreds of taxpayers who have contacted me by email in the last three months, I think you will find that I respond to my emails in a timely manner.

Mr. Berry says we chose the longest period of time offered by the state to get current.

That is true. We did choose the longest plan because that plan said we would send two reconciliation bills per year along with one provisional bill. We chose that plan because we thought it was the fairest plan for our taxpayers.

We did not think that many of them would be able to handle more than three bills in one year. That plan was a tentative plan, depending on what types of problems we ran into along the path to getting back on track. And under that plan, we would have been caught up by 2014.

Now we have the Dermody Plan, passed into law this session and signed by the governor, which will force us to send five tax bills to La Porte County taxpayers within an 11 month period. And we still will not be caught up until 2014! But Rep. Tom Dermody feels this new law will benefit the taxpayers of La Porte County.

A normal tax cycle, from assessment to billing, is 11 months and we are now expected to get three bills out in a 10-month period.

Some say we have been set up for failure and that the county will end up paying at least a million dollars in fines to the other taxing units.

We say we have shown, by the extra hours that have been worked since the law was passed, that we are going to meet the challenge and try our best to follow this accelerated schedule.

I only hope that we can sustain the kinds of long hours and late nights it will take to get La Porte County back on track to on-time billing.

And I hope that the taxpayers of La Porte County can handle the plethora of tax bills that will be coming their way.

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2012/0...ce438118107.txt

La Porte County GOP chairman responds to treasurer’s column

By Keith Harris
La Porte County Republican Party Chairman
Published: Monday, April 9, 2012 5:06 PM CDT
As chairman of the La Porte County Republican Party, I feel compelled to respond to the statements made by County Treasurer Nancy Hawkins in a guest column printed in The Herald-Argus and The News-Dispatch.

What I find most interesting about her statement is that she says the tax problem is not a Republican or Democrat problem, but yet she goes on to blame her Republican predecessors as well as State Rep. Tom Dermody for the current state of our county taxes.

It is certainly true that prior to our current treasurer and auditor taking office, La Porte County did have a Republican treasurer and a Republican auditor. But is it really necessary to remind the citizens of this county that it was under the direction of a Democrat assessor that our property tax issues began and that it was these problems that the former auditor and treasurer were dealing with when the transition in officeholders came about in January of 2009.

I think it might also be prudent to inform the public of a few other facts that some seem unwilling to relay to the public.

*
Just prior to our current auditor and treasurer taking office, a current member of the County Council was attempting to make arrangements for our outgoing auditor to provide training to our incoming auditor. This newly-elected auditor refused to accept that help.

The State Auditor’s Association on several occasions has offered to send someone to La Porte County to assist our current auditor, but repeatedly he has refused such help. In fact, just a few weeks ago, the State Auditor’s Association held a training session right here in Michigan City at Blue Chip. Did our auditor attend? The answer is simple ... No!

Our treasurer also refers to county and software vendor employees working long hours to get the upcoming tax bill ready. In talking to the former treasurer, that was normal operating procedure when it was time to get the tax bills prepared and in the mail. My point is simple ... this is indeed a taxpayer problem, so quit making excuses and get the job done. After all, you did ask for the job four years ago.

In regard to the bill recently authored by State Rep. Tom Dermody and passed into law with the governor’s signature ... I say good for them. Can the proposed penalties be a burden on county taxpayers, without a doubt, but ONLY if our elected officials tasked with doing these jobs don’t get the job done. If they meet the deadlines and get the job done that they were elected to do, then we as taxpayers bear no additional burden.

One last thought on this issue. We have a concept here in La Porte County called Punch 10 politics which just happens to be the straight party Democrat vote. As everyone has heard me state on numerous occasions, I am vehemently opposed to straight party voting, especially voting for a number instead of voting for the person. This whole issue, ladies and gentlemen, is what happens when people blindly vote for a number instead of voting for an individual qualified to do the job.

Be careful what you vote for ... you just might get it!

Keith A. Harris is the La Porte County Republican Party chairman.

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2012/0...0c697472712.txt

Never turned down training

Published: Wednesday, May 2, 2012 5:07 PM CDT
In response to GOP Chairman Keith Harris' opinion (News-Dispatch April 9), with his misleading statements, I can't help but wonder if he is anticipating throwing his hat int the political arena again. Mr. Harris stated I refused training from the previous auditor. First and foremost, I never refused training, none was offered to me. I made several attempts through other means to set up an appointment, and finally we met twice for one hour in late December. From this, I concluded the loss of the election was taken personally.

The state auditor's association is always there to answer any questions for newly elected auditors. I was very fortunate to have inherited a truly knowledgeable staff. With their help, we have been current on all reports and as a result, I haven't felt the need to ask for assistance.

Mr. Harris mentioned a training session sponsored by the auditor's association held at Blue Chip Casino a few weeks ago, and questioned why I didn't attend. I wasn't aware of any training. I checked with the association and the only training they were aware of was over a year ago during the AIC conference.

I believe these false accusations are nothing more than a political attack on me, personally and my very knowledgeable staff. However this fictional account of the circumstances does make for interesting reading.

*
Craig Hinchman

La Porte County Auditor

La Porte, IN

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2012/0...45835371845.txt

GOP chair concedes his dates were wrong

Published: Saturday, May 5, 2012 5:06 PM CDT
I am willing to concede to Mr. Hinchman “Never Turned Down Training” in his May 3 Anvil Chorus letter, that I made a mistake by stating he did not attend a local training session “a few weeks ago.” That is the only part of the statement that was incorrect.

So though my timeframe portion of that statement may have been incorrect, I still stand by my statement that Mr. Hinchman did not attend a local training session held at Blue Chip Casino.

From Sept. 27-29, 2010 the Association of Indiana Counties held their annual conference in La Porte County at the Blue Chip. LaPorte County officials were actually the hosts of the conference and on Tuesday, Sept. 28 as a part of the conference, the county auditors held an affiliate meeting/training.

The Department of Local Government Finance, State Board of Accounts, State Auditor Tim Berry and others participated in the auditor’s meeting that morning. Mr. Hinchman did not participate in the conference, and Berry stopped by his office as he was leaving La Porte County on Sept. 29 wondering why he or his staff did not attend.

*
So once again, I apologize for a portion of my statement being incorrect, but the fact remains that a training meeting was held locally that our county auditor chose not to attend. The voters can decide whether it is an issue for them or not. Personally, I am tired of denial and a lack of accountability.

Keith A. Harris Chairman, LaPorte County Republican Party

La Porte, IN

[Southsider2k12]

More bills this summer

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...ce001493253.txt

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte...cb8371d0f3.html

Dan Carden dan.carden@nwi.com, (317) 637-9078

INDIANAPOLIS | LaPorte County property owners may get a break from the barrage of tax bills they've recently received as the county strives to catch up on delayed prior year tax billings.

The House Ways and Means Committee voted 19-0 on Tuesday to send House Bill 1261 to the full chamber. The measure allows LaPorte County to ask the Department of Local Government Finance for permission to skip the provisional spring 2013 tax bill and send only a full-year tax bill in the fall.

State Rep. Tom Dermody, R-LaPorte, the sponsor of the legislation, said LaPorte County property owners have had to pay four years of property taxes over the past few months.

He said allowing the county to send only one tax bill in 2013 would give county staff and taxpayers a much appreciated breather.

"This is the final step that's necessary to catch LaPorte County up," Dermody said.

LaPorte County schools and local governments have paid millions of dollars in interest for operating loans while waiting for the county to collect their tax revenue. A contested property reassessment has delayed some billings since 2008.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte...89c73dbef5.html

INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana House agreed Monday that LaPorte County property owners deserve to get one less tax bill this year after paying four years' worth over the past few months.

House Bill 1261, which now goes to the Senate, allows the Department of Local Government Finance to cancel the spring provisional tax bill and send only a final tax bill in the fall.

[MCRogers1974]

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte...89c73dbef5.html

I wish we had a "Like" button!

[Julie]

I am woefully behind on this topic.

http://www.in.gov/dlgf/files/090810_-_Rush...orte_County.pdf

It was only yesterday I found this letter written to the county council. Was, or was not the assessor ordered to reinstate the 2005 values (unless they could document cause to change them)? Around page 6 or 7 they say they were not.

[Southsider2k12]

I am woefully behind on this topic.

http://www.in.gov/dlgf/files/090810_-_Rush...orte_County.pdf

It was only yesterday I found this letter written to the county council. Was, or was not the assessor ordered to reinstate the 2005 values (unless they could document cause to change them)? Around page 6 or 7 they say they were not.

I've never seen this letter. I have to read it.

[Southsider2k12]

I am woefully behind on this topic.

http://www.in.gov/dlgf/files/090810_-_Rush...orte_County.pdf

It was only yesterday I found this letter written to the county council. Was, or was not the assessor ordered to reinstate the 2005 values (unless they could document cause to change them)? Around page 6 or 7 they say they were not.

OMG that was one of the most embarrassing documents I have ever read.

[Julie]

OMG that was one of the most embarrassing documents I have ever read.

"I don't know"

[ChickenCityRoller]

sheer and utter incompetence

Now next time you see one of the letters "written" by Carol McDaniel, ask yourself, is it really possible that she can write these? The answer of course is NO, there is a ghost writer and we all know who that is, right?







"I DUNNO"

[MCRogers1974]

sheer and utter incompetence

Now next time you see one of the letters "written" by Carol McDaniel, ask yourself, is it really possible that she can write these? The answer of course is NO, there is a ghost writer and we all know who that is, right?

"I DUNNO"

Unfortunately, "the people" elect these clowns into office.

[Southsider2k12]

sheer and utter incompetence

Now next time you see one of the letters "written" by Carol McDaniel, ask yourself, is it really possible that she can write these? The answer of course is NO, there is a ghost writer and we all know who that is, right?

"I DUNNO"

I had heard lots of that repeated verbally, but I figured it was exaggeration for the most part. That was disorienting to see in print.