that's gotta hurt: Clark County property taxes

From Ben Zion Hershberg's lead story in Wednesday's So. IN edition of the C-J...

On Monday, the Clark County Assessor was told that her data conform to the standards of the (State) Department of Local Government Finance. But on Wednesday, the County Auditor was informed that the Agency plans to hold public hearings on county budgets, delaying the release of the bills until early next year.

The article focuses on property owners paying for (much higher) property taxes just after Christmas, when budgets are tight. But it's difficult to imagine that paying the bills just before Christmas would be any better! In any case, the larger issue would seem to be paying the two payments for the 2007 bills in early 2008 and then receiving the 2008 bills and making their first payment in May. Either taxpayers will have three payments within four or five months-- or Clark County's tax receipts will be delayed further.

Maybe I'm reverting back to the seventh grade, but I thought the funniest part of the article was the Assessor saying "H-E-double toothpicks"-- because she's so angry.

"If the state keeps changing things, I don't know how in the hell anyone is ever going to get in compliance," Haire said.

UPDATE: In this morning's C-J, Hershberg reports that the budget hearings will not be required until 2008, allowing tax bills to go out in November-- just in time for Christmas!