Washington, D.C., isn’t the only city where a major transfer of power is taking place.
Indianapolis residents have witnessed a historic shift in Marion County government.
On Jan. 1 the important responsibilities of local township assessors were transferred to the Marion County Assessor.
The change gives only one person the responsibility of assessing (or determining the value of) properties for tax purposes. Previously, nine township assessors in different parts of the county did the work.
“This will benefit taxpayers because there will be a lot more confidence that they are being treated fairly compared to other taxpayers,” said Marion County Assessor Greg Bowes. “Until last week we had nine assessors doing the job in different ways, and making discretionary choices that could make a big difference in somebody’s assessment.”
Transfer of assessing duties to the county assessor was approved in a referendum by voters during the Nov. 4 election.
Supporters of the measure say having one county official conduct all of the assessments will provide one uniform way to have taxes assessed. They also believe the change will eliminate an unnecessary layer of government, making the process simpler for taxpayers and saving them money.
One of those supporters, Gov. Mitch Daniels, recently mentioned the issue in his plan to help the state consolidate the functions of local government. He noted that House Enrolled Act 1001, passed by the General Assembly last year, already transferred many functions of township assessors to counties.
“Indiana has more of almost everything — taxing units, seditions and politicians — than elsewhere,” Daniels said. “More than we need, more than taxpayers can get good service for, and certainly more than we should be paying for.”
However, not everyone is celebrating the transformation. Critics say the transfer is an unnecessary power grab that will deprive residents of a township assessor’s office that is close to them and more familiar with their area of the county.
Pike Township Assessor Barbara Hurst encountered lines of unhappy residents in her Westside township who arrived to file for the state’s new “Circuit Breaker” tax exemption for seniors over 65.
“We were not not able to help them because our office was closed by the 29th. When I told one lady that she would have to go to another office she said, ‘Baby, I’m doing great just to get here, I don’t know how to get to those other places,’” Hurst stated. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
While the Decatur and Pike township assessors offices are closing, those in Washington, Center, Lawrence, Wayne, Franklin, Perry and Warren townships will remain open as satellite offices.
Eventually, four satellite offices will be spread evenly across the county.
Wayne Township Assessor Michael McCormack says the township assessors simply did a better job than the county.
“All you have to do is look at last year’s assessment when many residents filed for appeals,” McCormack. “In Wayne Township our office was off between $1 million to $2 million, but the county was off by at least $77 million.”
McCormack said some citizens probably misunderstood the referendum on township assessors when the question was presented to them on the ballot.
“I heard from people who expressed regret that I was leaving the office and said ‘Well, I supported you and voted yes.’ But voting ‘yes’ actually meant you wanted to eliminate our positions,” McCormack stated. “This is the first time voting ‘yes’ on a question meant that official would lose the job. It didn’t make sense.”
Only two of the nine township assessors will work for the county, while the rest will collect a reduced salary of $27,500 until their terms end. Approximately 120 employees worked for the township assessors, and 90 percent of them have applied for jobs with the county assessor.
An employee of the Wayne Township assessor’s office, who asked not to be identified, said many workers are upset because they have not received much guidance in the application process.
“Many people, some who have worked in an assessor’s office for 20 or 30 years, have not been accepted by the county,” said the employee. “Those who will be retained have no idea which job they will be given with the county, what their responsibilities will be or how much they will be paid.”
Bowes admitted that the process of placing employees in new positions is not going as fast as he hoped, but says everyone was given a fair opportunity.
“Each applicant was given a structured interview, the same set of questions, the same time to answer questions, and the same entry test,” said Bowes. “Many applied, but other people chose to retire or otherwise not apply.”
Warren Township Assessor Arlene Crooke, who now works for the county, welcomes the transfer.
“This will benefit the taxpayers in the long run,” she said.
But Bowes said getting everything organized could take up to six months.
“My office went from 16 employees to 155 overnight,” said Bowes. “It is a big challenge but we’re hanging in there and expecting the best.”
