The Porter County Auditor’s office is one step closer to getting next year’s property tax bills out on time.

Work on the net assessed values was wrapped up last Thursday evening by the auditor’s office. The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance gave County Auditor James Kopp and his staff a week extension on the Dec. 4 deadline due to the office handling 2009 tax bill payments which were also due that day. Last week, Kopp said he expected to have the work completed by today but happened to finish a few days earlier than anticipated.

“Everybody here worked real hard to get the values done on time and I am grateful for their efforts,” Kopp said regarding his staff.

Kopp also acknowledged the $10,000 in overtime pay granted by the County Council earlier this year made a big difference in getting the 2010 tax bills on track. He said the office is 307 days ahead of where they were last year.

The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance reported last week 60 counties in Indiana had completed their submissions for the Dec. 4 deadline for the net assessed values. The DLGF has called 2010 the “Year of No Excuses” in efforts to get all the counties to get their first installments of the 2010 property tax bills out by May 10, which only Kosciusko and Owen counties achieved in 2009.

The first installment of Porter County’s 2009 tax bills were issued last month.

Kopp said the state has helped tremendously this year in solving some of the problems encountered by the auditor’s office and said they expect to meet the May 10 deadline for the first time in eight years.

The DLGF estimates to be four and a half months ahead of last year’s status statewide. The DLGF will need to complete a budget review for the county as the next step which includes deciding preliminary tax rates.

Kopp said the auditor’s office will work this week with the Porter County Treasurer’s Office on the 2009 tax bill settlements before returning to work on the 2010 tax bills.

Posted 12/14/2009