CROWN POINT | Lake County home and business owners are getting an unorthodox mailing from their local government.

It's from the Lake County treasurer's office and states in bold letters, "This is not a tax bill. Do not pay."

Instead, the "Special Message to property owners" sent to about 360,000 taxpayers in the county is a commemoration of the state Legislature's newest tax relief legislation, calculating how much the individual property owner saved in taxes from last year.

The notices are costing local taxpayers $48,000 in printing and postage expenses.

County Treasurer John Petalas said Thursday, "The comparison statement is not just something we came up with. By state law, every county treasurer is required to do this. I'm sure the legislators wanted some (public relations)."

Mary Jane Michalak, director of communications for the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance in Indianapolis, said Thursday that the Legislature requires the new statements be sent out as part of an effort to better inform taxpayers of their assessments and bills.

"The net effect is that the taxpayers will have significantly more information regarding their property tax bill, and the information will also be of a higher quality than was the case prior to this legislation," Michalak said.

Petalas said the notice is the first of its kind and may be confusing.

"I got one at home, and it threw me because I forgot them and was thinking, 'Why would my office mail me a bill? I pay through my mortgage.' Then I opened it up and saw what it was."

He said he expects it will have to be repeated next year, at the same cost to local government.