Indiana counties face more assessment problems

In November 2007, the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance released a statement saying that it will hold property assessors accountable for errors in property value assessments. It stated that 23 counties have assessors who failed to provide the department with accurate data required by law for tax purposes.\nTownship assessors decide the value of properties within a township for taxing purposes. The list of cited assessors does not include any from Monroe County.\nMonroe County assessor Judith Sharp, who oversees all of Monroe County’s townships, said county residents tend to come to her a lot when they have issues with their township assessors.\n“I think the public is very confused by the system we have,” Sharp said.\nBecause many assessments have been labeled inconsistent or inaccurate – some by over 30 percent, according to an Indiana Association of Realtors press release – the state government is considering switching property assessments to a county-wide system, so taxing is consistent over the whole county.\nSharp said assessing is underfunded by the state, and being an assessor is not a high-paying job, especially at the township level. Sharp added that while she makes about $48,000 per year as a county assessor, the four elected township assessors for the county each earn about $10,000 per year.\nBloomington Township Assessor James Brinegar said he made $10,974 last year.\n“I don’t do it for the money,” he said. “I’m retired, and it gives me something to do in a part-time position.” Most people, however, wouldn’t “want to put up with the crap I put up with for that money,” he added.\nBrinegar said he opposes a county-wide system because one person can’t keep track of that much property, and the system would require outsourcing to employees that might not be as knowledgeable as the township assessors. Sharp, on the other hand, said she likes the idea of a county assessment system because she already does much of the township assessment work.\nWhile they are on different sides of the property tax assessment debate, Sharp and Brinegar both agreed that the system’s major problems lie with the state legislators.\n“Everything that is happening right now is an attempt to blame the assessing officials for all of the problems,” Sharp said. “Everything that has happened in Indiana for the past 10 to 15 years is being blamed on the assessors.”\nBrinegar said fault lies with the state government.\n“The legislators can’t do what we do,” he said. “All of the problems that you come up with come from the state legislators. If they want to fix the government, (they should) start at the top,” he added.