Plenty of questions from the public are expected now that the first tax rates that reflect last year’s property tax referendum have been released.
With the exception of the Flat Rock-Hawcreek area, property owners will pay an increase of between 16 to 17-cents per $100 of assessed valuation, Bartholomew County Auditor Pia O’Connor said. These figures reflect 2020 property taxes that are payable in spring and fall installments this year.
During the 2020 primary, the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. property tax referendum received approval from 61.33% of local voters, which raised the BCSC tax rate by $0.1560.
A question likely to pop up from taxpayers this year will likely pertain to taxes that exceed state property tax caps. But since the increase comes from a referendum, the same 15.6 cent increase will apply to all homes within the BCSC district whether they’ve hit the tax cap or not, said BCSC Assistant Superintendent of Financial Services Chad Phillips.
For a year, the school corporation’s website has maintained a link at the top of its home page labeled “Referendum 2020” that provides a tax impact calculator for each property owner, Phillips said.
When school officials plug specific tax information into the online calculator, it provides to the penny the same figures that O’Connor shared last week with the Bartholomew County Council, Phillips said.
“We were pleased to see that what we told taxpayers just prior to the election is what the auditor says will be the impact on taxes,” Phillips said.
Up to 2% of the entire 13% increase for township residents, as well as 7% for city residents, comes from other taxing entities or situations that are not connected to the school corporation, Phillips said.
One example brought up by O’Connor is that the county’s growth quotient and assessed value did not align as closely as local officials would have liked.
There are a wide variety of factors that have an influence on individual property taxes, so O’Connor gave a limited comparison between property in German Township and the city of Columbus to illustrate the possible increase in property bills paid last year, compared to those paid last year.
Home with assessed value of $150,000
German Township: Increase of $124.28. Taxes due $1,097.87 (up 13%).
City of Columbus: Increase of $101.01. Maximum payment $1,691.24 (up 6%)
Apartment or rental property with assessed value of $150,000
German Township: Increase of $273.13. Taxes due $ 2,412.90 (up 13%)
City of Columbus: Increase of $222. Maximum payment $3,420.30 (up 7%)
Commercial property with assessed value of $500,000
German Township: Increase of $910.50. Taxes due $8,043 (up 13%)
City of Columbus: Increase of $837. Taxes $12,770.50 (up 7%)
100 acres farm with assessed value of $129,000
German Township: Increase of $234.91. Taxes due $2,075.09 (up 13%)
Both the home and rental property in Columbus reflect maximum taxes due with CAPs adjusted for the referendum. All others reflect taxes due if the CAP is not met.
“Those are pretty sizable increases,” council member Bill Lentz said .
The referendum is expected to raise $7.48 million this year that will result in increases in salary and benefits for teachers, non-certified staff members and security staff. Equipment and professional services for safety and security will also be purchased, as well as new school buses as part of a multi-year bus replacement plan.
For a chart listing all the rates, pick up a copy of today’s Republic.
