Clark County (The Evening News)
Tax rate jump unexpected
Grooms blames assessment appeals on higher rate
Jeffersonville’s tax rate for 2009 increased 19 percent from last year, much more than anticipated, and city Councilman Ron Grooms said the cause of the hike was two-fold.
For one, residents appealed property assessments on which the taxes are based, dropping values by $300 million.
Despite the fact that the city added to its number of households through annexation, the actual property value across the city increased by only $33 million in 2009 compared to 2008.
The total property value for the 2007 — pay ’08 — tax bills was $1.23 billion; the 2008 — pay ’09 bill — was $1.26 billion, according to Grooms.
That amount was predicted to increase by $173 million with the annexation, he said.
Also contributing to the increase was the fact that the state allowed the city to tax more than the maximum levy. The city asked for and was granted a $3.1 million excess levy appeal, which allows it to tax more in order to pay for annexation services.
The tax rate went from about .98 cents per $100 of assessed value to $1.17 per $100 of assessed property value. The rate was only expected to go up to $1.05 per $100 of assessed value, Grooms said.
Annexation not finished
Another annexation, of the Oak Park area east of the city limits, is scheduled to take effect in January. With that, Grooms said the city plans to ask for another maximum levy appeal in order to pay for city services in the area.
“When they apply for excess levy appeals, basically what they’re doing is asking the state if they can tax more,” said Bruce Herdt, an annexation opponent who lives in the Oak Park area.
He filed a legal remonstrance against the annexation, but the case was thrown out because all the needed material wasn’t filed on time.
He agrees with Grooms that the appeals are chief among causes of the higher tax rate. And he admits that predicting where a tax rate could go is like trying to hit a “moving target.”
However, he points out that the excess levy appeals that the city is requesting are permanent tax increases.
Grooms confirmed that the appeals never go away, adding that the city’s need to provide services to an annexed area are also permanent.
At this point, he said, it’s unclear how much of an appeal the city will request for the Oak Park annexation.
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Showing their ‘Medal’
“Give us a chance and you’ll be surprised what we can do,” he said.
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Gambling brings billions of dollars to state
But odds are against it continuing as Indiana faces increasing competition from neighboring states, including Ohio, which legalized casino gambling in the fall.
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Feds to review transportation planning
This meeting will be the public’s opportunity to talk directly with Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration officials about the Louisville area transportation planning process, according to a KIPDA press release.
Continued ... - Clark county briefs for Aug. 1, 2010
- EVENING NEWS CHEERS AND JEERS: July 31, 2010
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Hill agrees to two debates
Young Campaign Manager Ryan Burchfield said Friday debates are usually scripted and rigid in nature, with pre-determined questions and little crowd interaction.
Continued ... - EVENING NEWS LETTERS: July 31, 2010
- Clark county briefs for July 31, 2010
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ACL posts Q2 loss, but shows improvement
But it may be good news for ACL that it is breaking even in the first half of the year, because historically the second half of the year is when the company generates more revenue.
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Missing commercial boater’s body found in Ohio River
Spainhour did not know if the coroner would request an autopsy.
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