property tax increases reach Floyd

The top story in Indiana’s C-J this morning is on Floyd County’s response to property tax bills this year. Interestingly, there are no aggregate/average numbers available, so Lesley Stedman Weidenbenner relies heavily on anecdotes and quotes. Her analysis is solid, noting the role of “trending” in property assessments, a cap on property-tax relief by the legislature, and significantly increased spending in Floyd County.

One respondent, Ruthanne Wolfe, said she was “lucky”. This is a problem for government policy in general and tax policy in particular. When people don’t understand the law or their tax bills, this is wrong ethically, and practically/politically, breeds cynicism and distrust. Property taxes should be consistent and transparent. But in Indiana, they’ve been a mess for years—as politicians have settled for band-aids time after time.

And speaking of painful moments for entities named Floyd, would you rather be Floyd K. of Floyd Co. or the average home-owner in Floyd Co.?