Fair Taxation Rally - July 16

**Join Hoosiers for Fair Taxation Rally**

When: Monday, July 16, 2007 @ 5:30 p.m.
Where: the City County Building

For more info.: http://hoosiersforfairtaxation.blogspot.com

To All Warfleigh Homeowners

To: All Warfleigh Neighborhood Homeowners

We disagree with the assessments made by Joline Ohmart. We believe it is unfair, and we would like to organize as a neighborhood to work together to reduce the property taxes on our homes.

Our major objectives are as follows:
Short term:
1. Get a group rate on appraisals for your home to be used in filing for reduced assessment.
2. File Form 130 immediately to protest and correct the assessed value of your home.
3. Support and/or organize demonstrations against property taxes.
4. Avoid duplication of efforts within our neighborhood.

Long term:
1. Insure that Joline Ohmart does not stay in office!
2. Elect representatives sensitive to our needs as taxpayers!
3. Change legislation to reduce or to eliminiate poperty taxes!

If you would like to be involved and to help with these and other issues regarding our Warfleigh neighborhood, please responde to one of the following below ASAP:

Beth & Carl Barnes
6345 Riverview Dr.
carlbarnes@mail.com
317-253-7183

Cathy Babcock & Jeff Bates
6343 Riverview Dr.
cbabindy@yahoo.com
317-722-9376

**JOIN HOOSIERS for FAIR TAXATION RALLY**
Where: City County Building
When: Monday, July 16, 2007 @ 5:30 p.m.

For more info.: http://hoosiersforfairtaxation.blogspot.com

tax debacle

Hi. These folks are moving towards helping Warfleigh neighbors attain property value Reassessment: carlbarnes@mail.com(CarlBarnes), cbabindy@yahoo.com(CathyBabcock).
They've been circulating a flier that states some worthy goals:
1.Group rate for new appraisals
2.File Form 130 immediately to protest assessed values
3.Support demonstrations
4.Avoid duplication of neighborhood efforts
5.Broaden neighborhood communication about future goals, needs, legislation, etc.
I want to contest how my property is being taxed. The politico-extortionists think my house is worth $20K more than I would ever dream someone would pay for it (and are taxing accordingly).
It's time to band together, Warfleigh!

http://hoosiersforfairtaxation.blogspot.com

Governor Ordering New Assessment

July 18, 2007

Go to http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070718/LOCAL/70718030

By Mary Beth Schneider
Mary.beth.schneider@indystar.com

Gov. Mitch Daniels today ordered a full reassessment of all residential and commercial properties in Marion County and said other counties in the state are also likely to undergo reassessments.

He also appointed State Supreme Court Justice Randall Shepherd and former Gov. Joe Kernan to head a commission to find long-term solutions to the property tax crisis, including the possible elimination of township-county assessors and other government streamlining ideas.

The commission will begin work in August and Daniels said he hopes to get its report by year?’s end. Whatever it recommends will be subject to a vote in the General Assembly next year.

Daniels has long advocated smaller government. Today, his office pointed out that Indiana currently has about 2,730 local units of government with the authority to levy property taxes.

It also said only nine states have more government than Indiana. The Hoosier State has 1,009 townships while 31 states have no township offices at all, it said.

?“The unneeded overhead of this antique system drains dollars from our school classrooms, from our public safety first responders and from the pockets of property taxpayers,?” Daniels said in a statement. ?“Indiana will never be able to provide excellent local services at reasonable tax levels until true reform occurs.?”

An outside vendor will be hired to reassess commercial and industrial property, and local assessors will handle residential property.

The Marion County reassessment is expected to take six to eight months. For now, residents will be asked to pay their 2006 amounts, and after reassessment is done, updated bills will go out.

Marion County property owners have seen average increases of 35 percent in their tax bills.

The reassessment in Marion County apparently ignored commercial properties, pushing homeowners?’ bills even higher, Daniels said.

According to a memo to the governor from the state Department of Local Government Finance, 72 percent of commercial and industrial parcels in Marion County saw no change in assessed values between the 2005 and 2006 assessments.

It also said only two of the nine townships made significant changes in the number of commercial and industrial assessments modified from 2005 and 2006.

The commission will review previous studies and reports on local government reform in Indiana. It will also gather its own information and will consider a number of questions:

* What local government offices might be eliminated to achieve efficiencies and cost savings for Hoosier taxpayers? Specifically, should township-county property tax assessors be abolished in favor of a uniform process managed by the state?

* What local units of government (including schools and libraries) might be successfully consolidated to reduce overhead and administrative expenses?

* What services or functions of local government might be reduced, eliminated, or provided in new ways to achieve savings for taxpayers?

* Is a Constitutional Convention necessary to make the bigger changes in state government?

Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, a leading voice for property tax reform in the Legislature, called Daniels' actions today a positive step.

He said the assessment is necessary to make sure people are taxed fairly.

?“I hate for there to be that disruption in terms of the schedule of paying their taxes but I think it is really the right thing to do,?” Kenley said. ?“It just appears that there are so many disparities in this assessment in Marion County.?”

On the blue ribbon panel, he agreed that reform in local government ?– particularly the assessing system ?– is necessary....