
Ross Township Assessor Angela Guernsey, left at table, and Calumet Township Assessor Joe Krnich, speak Thursday at the Statehouse in opposition to a House-approved proposal to eliminate township assessors. State Sen. Jim Buck, R-Kokomo, said House Bill 1027 will not advance this year out of his Senate Local Government Committee — in effect, killing the measure.
A House-approved proposal to eliminate the state's 13 remaining township property assessors, including the seven working in Northwest Indiana, has been halted in the Senate.
State Sen. Jim Buck, R-Kokomo, chairman of the Senate Local Government Committee, announced Thursday that House Bill 1027 will not advance out of his committee prior to the Feb. 27 deadline — in effect, killing the measure for the year.
Buck's decision followed approximately 45 minutes of committee testimony and discussion about the legislation that's sponsored by state Reps. Karen Engleman, R-Georgetown, Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, and Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond, among others.
The chairman said normally he wouldn't even have held a hearing on the proposal since the outcome of a committee vote only would embarrass the sponsors.
But Buck said he wanted senators to hear directly from the affected assessors about the essential work they do on behalf of homeowners and businesses in their townships.
"The government closest to the people serves the people best," Buck said.
In that vein, Buck also noted citizens in the 13 townships that retained their assessors following 2008 referendums already have made their position clear on the need for township assessors, and the General Assembly shouldn't be acting to override the will of the people.
"The people spoke, period," Buck said. "I do not like the Legislature, in this case, being the executioner of offices that the people chose to keep."
In Northwest Indiana that includes the township assessors in Lake County's Calumet, Center, Hobart, Ross and St. John townships, Porter County's Portage Township and LaPorte County's Michigan Township.
Buck said the assessors in Calumet and Ross townships evaluate more property than a majority of the state's county assessors, and wondered whether the Indiana Chamber of Commerce — a primary backer of the measure — would be back next year trying to eliminate county assessors by having county commissioners instead hire outside companies to do the assessments.
"If you privatize this service, I guarantee you it's not going to save money," Buck said.
Jackson previously claimed eliminating the five township assessors in Lake County and consolidating their duties in the county assessor's office could save up to $2.1 million a year that the county now spends to fund the township assessor offices.
State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, said he doubted the Lake County assessor could absorb the extra work without hiring at least as many people as currently are employed by the township assessors, negating any cost savings while making assessors less accessible to taxpayers.
"In these bigger counties, the county does not have the ability to look at this at the local level the way these assessors do here," Niemeyer said, pointing to Ross Township Assessor Angela Guernsey and Calumet Township Assessor Joe Krnich, who traveled to the Statehouse for the hearing.
Guernsey said the more than $3 billion in property assessments she oversees in Ross Township is more than than the total assessed value in 66 Indiana counties.
"We efficiently handle assessments at a very low cost," Guernsey said. "Our presence is greatly needed to serve our taxpayers in the most efficient way."
Gallery: Meet the 2020 NWI legislative delegation
State Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond

State Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond
1st House District
Represents: Hammond, Whiting
Experience: State representative since 2018; retired Cook County, Ill. probation officer
Committees: Environmental Affairs; Family, Children and Human Affairs; Government Reduction (ranking member)
State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago

State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago
2nd House District
Represents: East Chicago, Gary (west side)
Experience: State representative since 2016; small business owner
Committees: Government and Regulatory Reform; Government Reduction; Ways and Means
State Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary

State Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary
3rd House District
Represents: Gary (downtown and east side), Lake Station, New Chicago, Hobart
Experience: State representative since 2018; attorney
Committees: Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development; Courts and Criminal Code (ranking member); Interstate and International Cooperation.
State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso

State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso
4th House District
Represents: Valparaiso
Experience: State representative since 2006; aviation safety consultant
Committees: Elections and Apportionment; Roads and Transportation; Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications (chairman)
State Rep. Pat Boy, D-Michigan City

State Rep. Pat Boy, D-Michigan City
9th House District
Represents: Michigan City, Chesterton, Beverly Shores, Long Beach, Westville
Experience: State representative since 2018; retired small business owner
Committees: Elections and Apportionment; Family, Children and Human Affairs; Interstate and International Cooperation
State Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage

State Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage
10th House District
Represents: Portage, Chesterton, Ogden Dunes, Burns Harbor, South Haven
Experience: State representative since 2008; financial solutions associate
Committees: Elections and Apportionment (ranking member); Employment, Labor and Pensions; Veterans Affairs and Public Safety
State Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron

State Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron
11th House District
Represents: St. John, Cedar Lake, Lowell, Schneider, Hebron, Kouts
Experience: State representative since 2014; farmer, former state environmental regulator
Committees: Environmental Affairs (vice chairman); Local Government; Natural Resources
State Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, D-Munster

State Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, D-Munster
12th House District
Represents: Munster, Hammond (south side), Highland, Griffith
Experience: State representative 2006-14, re-elected 2016
Committees: Interstate and International Cooperation (ranking member); Roads and Transportation; Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications
State Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary

State Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary
14th House District
Represents: Gary (south side), Merrillville
Experience: State representative since 1990; education professor at Indiana University Northwest
Committees: Education (ranking member); Government Reduction; Local Government
State Rep. Chris Chyung, D-Dyer

State Rep. Chris Chyung, D-Dyer
15th House District
Represents: Dyer, Schererville, St. John, Griffith
Experience: State representative since 2018; real estate investor
Committees: Financial Institutions; Local Government (ranking member); Roads and Transportation; Veterans Affairs and Public Safety
State Rep. Douglas Gutwein, R-Francesville

State Rep. Douglas Gutwein, R-Francesville
16th House District
Represents: Newton, Jasper counties
Experience: State representative since 2008; small business owner
Committees: Agriculture and Rural Development; Environmental Affairs; Government Reduction (chairman); Veterans Affairs and Public Safety
State Rep. Lisa Beck, D-Hebron

State Rep. Lisa Beck, D-Hebron
19th House District
Represents: Crown Point, Merrillville, Winfield, Lakes of the Four Seasons, Hobart
Experience: State representative since 2018; attorney
Committees: Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development; Courts and Criminal Code; Employment, Labor and Pensions (ranking member)
State Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie

State Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie
20th House District
Represents: LaPorte County
Experience: State representative since 2016; small business owner
Committees: Elections and Apportionment; Government and Regulatory Reform (chairman); Roads and Transportation; Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications
State Sen. Frank Mrvan, D-Hammond

State Sen. Frank Mrvan, D-Hammond
1st Senate District
Represents: Hammond (south side), Munster, Highland, Griffith, Dyer, Schererville
Experience: State senator 1978-95, 1998-present; retired banker
Committees: Education and Career Development; Ethics; Health and Provider Services; Homeland Security and Transportation (ranking member); Local Government (ranking member); Veterans Affairs and the Military (ranking member)
State Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago

State Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago
2nd Senate District
Represents: Hammond, Whiting, East Chicago, Gary (west side), Griffith, Hobart, Merrillville
Experience: State senator since 2008, previously served 1994-98; attorney
Committees: Commerce and Technology; Corrections and Criminal Law; Ethics; Judiciary (ranking member); Public Policy (ranking member); Utilities
State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary

State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary
3rd Senate District
Represents: Gary, Lake Station, New Chicago, Hobart, Merrillville, Crown Point
Experience: State senator since 2016; community relations manager
Committees: Appropriations; Education and Career Development (ranking member); Health and Provider Services; Homeland Security and Transportation; Veterans Affairs and the Military
State Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes

State Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes
4th Senate District
Represents: Ogden Dunes, Portage, Chesterton, South Haven, Burns Harbor, Beverly Shores, Michigan City, Westville
Experience: State senator since 2005; attorney
Committees: Appropriations (ranking member); Corrections and Criminal Law (ranking member); Environmental Affairs; Pensions and Labor; Rules and Legislative Procedure
State Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso

State Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso
5th Senate District
Represents: Valparaiso, Hebron, Kouts, Jasper County
Experience: State senator since 2007; attorney
Committees: Appropriations; Ethics; Health and Provider Services (chairman); Rules and Legislative Procedure; Tax and Fiscal Policy
State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell

State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell
6th Senate District
Represents: St. John, Cedar Lake, Crown Point, Winfield, Lowell, Newton County
Experience: State senator since 2014, state representative 2012-14; small business owner
Committees: Environmental Affairs; Homeland Security and Transportation; Local Government; Veterans Affairs and the Military
State Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores

State Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores
8th Senate District
Represents: LaPorte County
Experience: State senator since 2016; consultant
Committees: Corrections and Criminal Law; Insurance and Financial Institutions; Judiciary; Local Government