Daniels: Property taxes to be reassessed

INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Mitch Daniels ordered new property reassessments Wednesday in Gibson, Posey and Delaware counties, saying there is evidence that commercial and industrial properties were undervalued and therefore shifted more of the tax burden onto homeowners.\nDaniels had already ordered that property be re-valued for tax purposes in Marion County because commercial and industrial properties were not reassessed properly or in some cases at all, causing homeowners’ tax bills to be higher than they should be.\nThe governor ruled out a new statewide reassessment, saying it appeared that many counties have done adequate jobs in valuing properties. But he said he was sure that as more tax data on parcels comes in and is analyzed he would order more counties to do reassessments.\n“We can solve this problem, but we are a far way from home,” Daniels said.\nAs he did with Marion County, he has frozen property tax bills in Gibson, Posey and Delaware counties at 2006 levels. Gibson and Posey counties are located in far southwestern Indiana and Delaware County is in central Indiana, northeast of Indianapolis.\nThe reassessments in the three counties are expected to take months, and new bills will be issued after they are complete by reconciling any differences in what property owners should actually have paid in 2007.