Monroe County property assessments released with significant increases
Last week the Monroe County Assessor’s Office mailed the 2022 property assessments to landowners in the county. The value used to assess the land and structures noticeably increased for many, as the determination should reflect the market value in use of the properties. Several residents discussed on social media, that their increase was as much as a 20% total increase from 2021.
County Councilmember Geoff McKim addressed the matter on a social media thread discussing the topic. He permitted the publishing of his expertise in the matter. This is what he said:
“The local units of government that serve your property will see an increase in property tax revenue of approximately 4.something%. That % is determined statewide each year, and equals the 6-year moving average of statewide non-farm personal income growth. Let’s say it will be 4.5% next year. That means ALL OTHER THINGS BEING EQUAL your property taxes would increase by that 4.5%. But of course, all things are not equal, and everybody gets a new property value assessment each year.
Remember that the property tax RATE is calculated by dividing the total tax amount collected by local government (which is whatever it was last year + that 4.5% increase) by the total of all assessed value serving the unit of government. Then, that rate is multiplied by your own assessed value (minus deductions) to calculate your tax bill. But what that means is that, all other things being equal — if everyone’s assessed value, say, doubled overnight, that would simply cut the rate in half, and you and everyone else would pay the same amount of property tax. This should dispel the myth that local governments see a windfall when property values increase — they don’t, and it is simply a matter of mathematics.
So, to get back to your own property tax bill — what matters more (from all of the explanation above) is how much your assessed value increased *compared to everyone else*. If your AV increased *exactly* the same percentage as everyone else, then you would pay approximately 4.5% increase. If your AV is more than the average, then you would pay more, if less, then less.
Now, this was a simplification — there are a lot of nuances and exceptions. One nuance is the property tax caps. If your assessed value increases, then you are protected less by the property tax caps (the cap is 1% of your gross assessed value) — and the MCCSC referendum is outside the property tax caps. Also, if your unit of government takes on new debt (such as the general obligation bonds the City of Bloomington is working on right now), then you would see an additional increase.”
Monroe County Republican Party hosted Annual Lincoln Day Dinner
The Monroe Ciounty Republicans held their Lincoln Day celebratory dinner over the weekend at the Bloomington Country Club. The event was the first they have held since 2019, due to Covid-19 restrictions over the past couple of years. This year’s event was sold out, and featured Special Guest Whitley Yates, the Indiana GOP Directory of Diversity, and a Keynote Address by Indiana 9th District US Congressman Trey Hollingsworth.
Representative Hollingsworth delivered a message of government actions without thought of consequences, as well as discussing of differences between Republicans and actual conservatives.
The evening began with an hour of mingling before the dinner and program began. They started with the Pledge of Allegiance, and a Prayer, delivered by Ellettsville Chief of Police Jimmie Durnil. A silent Auction was held as well, to help raise funds for the local political party. Party leaders, Elected Officials, and Candidates were among the attendees, all with the common thoughts directed at this year’s Primary, taking place tomorrow, May 3rd, and November’s General Election.
Party Chair Taylor Bryant was excited for the turnout for her first Lincoln Day as the leader of the local R’s. “This event is a great opportunity for fellow Republicans to celebrate together,” said Bryant. “We chose this date, pre-Primary, so we could have as many candidates as possible, but it is a bit unique for me because I have College Finals next week.”
Bryant is a student at Indiana University in addition to serving as the Chairwoman of the Monroe County Republican Party. She is the youngest recorded County Party Chair in recorded state history.
Indiana State Police Conducting Investigation into Officer Involved Shooting
At the request of the Jasonville Police Department, the Indiana State Police Bloomington District has been called to investigate an incident that led to an officer-involved shooting in Jasonville. The preliminary investigation by Indiana State Police detectives revealed that on Friday afternoon, an officer from the Jasonville Police Department responded to a neighborhood in Jasonville about a disruptive subject outside of a residence after calls from local concerned citizens. As officers made contact with the male, who was holding a knife, the man purportedly refused commands to drop the weapon and lunged toward the officer. The officer fired at least one shot from their department-issued handgun hitting the subject.
The subject was transported to a nearby hospital for potentially life-threatening injuries and his current medical condition is unknown. No one else was injured in the incident. The identity of the subject as well as the identity of the officers involved will be forthcoming. This is an active and ongoing criminal investigation by the Indiana State Police. Once the criminal investigation is complete, the investigation will be turned over to the Greene County Prosecutor for review and determination of charges, if any, to be filed. There is no further information at this time.
***All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Summer 2022 adult classes at Ivy Tech are now available for registration
Visit ivytech.edu/cll to browse our summer offerings for adults and register online.
This Week in Hoosier History
1813 – Corydon became the second capital of the Indiana Territory. The site was moved from Vincennes to be more central to the newly organized territory. Corydon became the state capital when Indiana gained statehood in 1816.
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