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http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...51269642474.txt

Resolution in the works

Mediation called to sort out property tax mess
By Alicia Ebaugh
Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 4:17 AM CST
MICHIGAN CITY — A resolution to La Porte County’s property tax mess could come as soon as next week if court-ordered mediation helps the parties in two lawsuits come to an agreement, Michigan City Area Schools interim superintendent Carla Iacona said.

Iacona said at Tuesday’s School Board meeting she found out about the mediation during a Tuesday afternoon conference in Indianapolis.

“Mediation means that the judge will appoint a mediator and set aside a time in the immediate future when all of the parties will meet and come to an agreement,” she said. “While I had hoped that something more concrete could have been resolved today, I am told that mediation is a very viable option and is seen as a successful strategy in these types of cases.”

The mediation process is not binding, Iacona said, so the school district will not be forced to accept any resolution.

Iacona said she believes this meeting will be held next week in Indianapolis, and mediation may take one to two days.

The mediation will bring together parties from two lawsuits filed over La Porte County’s 2006-pay-07 property assessments. La Porte County Assessor Carol McDaniel sued La Porte County Auditor Craig Hinchman last September after he refused to certify her 2006-pay-07 property assessment values, claiming the data was faulty and instead recertifying the previous year’s data.

Michigan City Area Schools, Michigan City and Long Beach also sued Hinchman and the Department of Local Government Finance, asking the court to force them to use the county’s 2006-pay-07 property assessment values. MCAS faces a $8.2 million budget shortfall if Hinchman’s 2005-pay-06 certified numbers are used instead, and the other entities also stand to lose a significant amount of money. Long Beach residents Bill and Dalia Wendt have petitioned to intervene in this case and will likely also be involved.

Just last week at a County Commissioners meeting, School Board member Dr. Vidya Kora said MCAS may be open to options other than using the 2006-pay-07 assessment values, as long as it would avoid the shortfall.

“I am trying to remain optimistic and patient. But soon we will have to come together to make some hard decisions should mediation prove to be unsuccessful,” Iacona said. “We can only hope that the parties who are still making this situation difficult will look into their hearts, put ego aside and think about what is best for our entire community.”