Property tax bills rise
Homeowners in Porter County see overall increase of about 8% from 2022 to 2023
Porter County residents seem to be taking their property taxes in stride this spring, at least as represented by the stream of folks lined up Tuesday at the treasurer’s office to pay their bill.
While county officials didn’t give an average rate hike percentage for homeowners, taxes overall rose about 8% from 2022 to 2023, according to Tiffany Johnson, budget and finance director for the Porter County Auditor’s Office. That includes taxes on vacant land, homesteads, and businesses.
The previous year all real taxes had risen an average of 2%. “It is increase that we’re seeing,” said Chief Deputy Treasurer Jim Albarran. He and his staff kept the line moving at such a brisk pace no one really had time to grumble.
Albarran laughed at his current role as tax collector. “I used to be a minister,” he said, likening himself to Zacchaeus, the Roman tax collector who climbed a tree to see Jesus. Jesus then invited himself back to the tax collector’s house and the crowd was appalled he’d sully himself by keeping such company.
There are many hands in the final equation. First the assessor puts a value on the property, which is done yearly. “We do a ratio study — the difference between an assessed value of a property, compared to what it sold for,” said Porter County Assessor Sue Neff.
She said complaints regarding tax bills and appeals have actually gone down. “I think people are understanding and they’re learning how the assessment value works.”
It’s actually a three-year process. The 2023 taxes are based on 2022 assessments and 2022 assessments are based on 2021 sales figures.
“Remember that you can’t appeal your taxes, but you can appeal your assessment,” Neff wants to remind people. At the end of April her office will be sending out Form 11, which people can use between May 1 and June 15 to appeal their assessment for next year’s tax bill.
“We’re still working on ‘22 appeals right now,” she said. “We’ve got it way down.” For those planning to launch an appeal she recommends working with a real estate agent, because a successful appeal must include marketbased evidence of the argument being made for lower taxes.
When Neff’s office is done
with assessments, the values are sent to Porter County Auditor Karen Martin. She is responsible for applying any credits or exemptions before sending the adjusted figures on to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, which converts the numbers to a property tax rate by dividing each unit’s approved budget amounts by the assessed value.
Johnson explained the maximum levy — the amount the county is allowed to tax — is determined by the state growth quotient, which is a six-year average of nonfarm personal income. The tax rate is then calculated by taking the levy and dividing it by the assessed value.
“If assessed value decreases in the area, tax rates will go up and vice versa,” Johnson said in an email. “The (County) Council takes into consideration the levy in order to see how much the budgets can grow. The budgets don’t determine the levy.”
Then these rates go back to the county where the auditor and treasurer work together to generate the bills. Tax bills were mailed April 3 and began arriving in mailboxes on Good Friday.
Property taxes on Hugo Lindner’s home in Chesterton went up 20% from $2,400 to $2,900. “I’m retired and on disability. It puts a little crimp in it,” he said of his budget. “Five hundred dollars is $500.”
Still, like many people in line he said he’d rather pay the full year at once, rather than half by May 10 and half by Nov. 10 as allowed by state statute. “I just pay the whole thing in May because it’s getting around Christmas in November and you might forget and they’ll probably take your house away.”
Harry Miller of Jackson Township said he was surprised not only by the small increase in his property taxes that will eat into his fixed income, but by the bill for his homeowner’s insurance as well. That went up just over 20% from $150 to $181 per month.
Neff said her office has to assess over 80,000 parcels in Porter County. “We mass assess the entire county, but then we compare neighborhoods as well,” she said. “If homes are selling in Beverly Shores we don’t compare that with Kouts.”
Marilyn Hopkins of South Haven hasn’t investigated the efforts of Neff ’s office to be consistent within neighborhoods. “Mine was fine,” she said of her tax bill.
She’s not sure about her neighbors. “I figured it’s none of my business. If they want me to know they’ll tell me.”