VALPARAISO | After several months of delays, Porter County officials say they are finally ready to mail property tax bills.
On Wednesday, the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance gave the go-ahead to mail the bills, even though the county still is working to finish the tax abstract, which details the final breakdown of taxes.
The bills, which typically go out in May and November, were scheduled to be printed Wednesday and today, said County Treasurer James Murphy. They then will be sent to a company in South Bend that will stuff, postmark and mail the envelopes. Murphy said he expects some of the bills to go out Friday and the rest on Monday or Tuesday.
"If folks haven't gotten their bills by the end of next week, they need to call or e-mail me," Murphy said.
Starting today, however, homeowners can log on to the county Web site and see what their bills look like. Murphy said the data likely will be available this morning at www.porterco.org/taxes.html.
County officials also sent a joint petition to the state asking for a payment deadline of Jan. 11, which Murphy expects to be approved.
"We want to give as many people as much time as we can," Murphy said.
A deadline set for next year might give homeowners more time to pay their bills, but it will prevent them from deducting the money from this year's state income taxes. Residents who want the deduction on this year's taxes will have to make the payment before Dec. 31.
Because mortgage companies have legal restrictions on the amount of money that can be in escrow accounts at the year's end, Murphy said most companies will make payments in 2007. He also said that approximately 45 percent of homeowners pay their bills through mortgage companies.
Once the bills are mailed out, the treasurer's office will be making periodic payments to the county's various taxing units, which have been forced to borrow funds to keep afloat.
Murphy said a large advance will be made on Dec. 31 along with other payments throughout the month. This will come as relief to the municipalities that need to pay back their loans.
In addition to mailing the bills, officials will continue to work on the tax abstract data. County Auditor Jim Kopp said his office ran into problems involving data with the county's tax increment financing districts.
Although the incomplete abstract will not affect homeowners' bills, it could stall the final settlement granted to the taxing units if the problems are not worked out.
