I'm puzzled

[PJSprog]

We're getting ready to completely remodel our house, and add a new sunroom. This, of course, will cause our property taxes to go up next year, too.

All the more reason to park that expensive new tractor in the barn (to get back to the original subject).

 

[Wagtail]

We're getting ready to completely remodel our house, and add a new sunroom. This, of course, will cause our property taxes to go up next year, too.

All the more reason to park that expensive new tractor in the barn (to get back to the original subject).

<snert> My Shire Council didn't even wait that long. :laughing: I had my 5-bay "Machinery Building" wholly built by a reputable company, who provided the Council with all of the necessary plans, specs and certifications. All the Council did was send an 'Inspector' out once it was finished.

A new property assessment notice/bill was in the mail the following week.

 

[MossRoad]

And they will just jack up the assessed value of your property. They can't change one side of the equation (the rate) so they will change the other (the value) to get to the dollars they want flowing into the treasury.

Its really hard to jack up the assessed value of the homes around here... really hard. :laughing:

 

[TomSeller]

And they will just jack up the assessed value of your property. They can't change one side of the equation (the rate) so they will change the other (the value) to get to the dollars they want flowing into the treasury.

They should have to reference comparable sales when they determine the assessed value, if not challenge them.

 

[MossRoad]

They should have to reference comparable sales when they determine the assessed value, if not challenge them.

There are many townships in our county. All of them but one fall under the county auditor. The one county with its own auditor just hired a consultant to look at how properties are assessed. They found many instances where two neighboring properties of equal size and value were taxed at different rates. They can't figure out who changed the rates for those properties with lower taxes. Now they're going to go through all the properties in that township and make everyone pay equally.

So the county commissioners, seeing that it could bump up revenue, decided to hire the same consultant to analyse the townships under the county auditor's office. Guess what? The county auditor is dragging her feet and not getting the database to the consultant. Why? Because they'll find hundreds, if not thousands of people are paying too low of taxes as compared to their neighbors. And my guess is many of them will be of the same political party as the auditor and the names will be quite familiar to the local people. Grrrr!!!

Anyhow, Indiana passed a circuit breaker law back in 2008.
Its quite interesting...
http://www.in.gov/dlgf/files/CircuitBreakerFactSheet.pdf
And its starving local governments of income generated by property taxes. Most of us think that's O.K. However, we will see a reduction in services. And some of us think that's O.K., too.

Beginning with 2010 tax bills, property owners have been entitled to a
circuit breaker cap on the amount of property taxes over:
1% of homestead properties;
2% of residential properties;
2% of agricultural land;
2% of long-term care facilities;
3% of nonresidential properties; and
3% of personal property

As I recall (and I could be wrong), it was enacted because counties were setting the property tax rates, not the state. Some counties had HUGE property taxes. Some had very small.

Ours had depreciation. So if you had an old house, you'd pay lower property taxes than a new house. It didn't matter that your 100+ year old house in a historic neighborhood was worth $250,000. You payed squat in property tax compared to a new house that was worth $100,000. That ain't right or fair. It should have been based on assessed value period!

Another example is appeals. My in-laws built a brand new 1700 square foot house. Their neighbor built a 3500 square foot house. My in-laws were paying double the property taxes of the neighbors whose home was twice as large! The neighbor had appealed his taxes and had them lowered. My in-laws didn't know you could do that. They got theirs lowered to the same the other had, but its still not fair, because the other house was twice as large and worth about 30% more. Didn't help that the neighbor with the bigger house and lower taxes had the same last name as one of the county commissioners!

So, I wait to see if the county commissioners force the county auditor to give up the database to the consultant to see who's paying lower taxes than they should be.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

There are many townships in our county. All of them but one fall under the county auditor. The one county with its own auditor just hired a consultant to look at how properties are assessed. They found many instances where two neighboring properties of equal size and value were taxed at different rates. They can't figure out who changed the rates for those properties with lower taxes. Now they're going to go through all the properties in that township and make everyone pay equally.

So the county commissioners, seeing that it could bump up revenue, decided to hire the same consultant to analyse the townships under the county auditor's office. Guess what? The county auditor is dragging her feet and not getting the database to the consultant. Why? Because they'll find hundreds, if not thousands of people are paying too low of taxes as compared to their neighbors. And my guess is many of them will be of the same political party as the auditor and the names will be quite familiar to the local people. Grrrr!!!

Anyhow, Indiana passed a circuit breaker law back in 2008.
Its quite interesting...
http://www.in.gov/dlgf/files/CircuitBreakerFactSheet.pdf
And its starving local governments of income generated by property taxes. Most of us think that's O.K. However, we will see a reduction in services. And some of us think that's O.K., too.

Beginning with 2010 tax bills, property owners have been entitled to a
circuit breaker cap on the amount of property taxes over:
1% of homestead properties;
2% of residential properties;
2% of agricultural land;
2% of long-term care facilities;
3% of nonresidential properties; and
3% of personal property

As I recall (and I could be wrong), it was enacted because counties were setting the property tax rates, not the state. Some counties had HUGE property taxes. Some had very small.

Ours had depreciation. So if you had an old house, you'd pay lower property taxes than a new house. It didn't matter that your 100+ year old house in a historic neighborhood was worth $250,000. You payed squat in property tax compared to a new house that was worth $100,000. That ain't right or fair. It should have been based on assessed value period!

Another example is appeals. My in-laws built a brand new 1700 square foot house. Their neighbor built a 3500 square foot house. My in-laws were paying double the property taxes of the neighbors whose home was twice as large! The neighbor had appealed his taxes and had them lowered. My in-laws didn't know you could do that. They got theirs lowered to the same the other had, but its still not fair, because the other house was twice as large and worth about 30% more. Didn't help that the neighbor with the bigger house and lower taxes had the same last name as one of the county commissioners!

So, I wait to see if the county commissioners force the county auditor to give up the database to the consultant to see who's paying lower taxes than they should be.

I watch very closely that I'm not paying more in taxes than my neighbors, but I am due to my age and marital status. I'm a white single male so I get hammered lol, most of my neighbors are the original builders of the neighborhood, I'm the second.

So they get more discounts than I do because there on a fixed budget and retired. I believe it's called homestead discount or something like that which is fair, I have no probs paying my dues, I like the idea that retired folks get a tax break.

Homestead I think is only like 2.5% or something like that.

That bring said my tractor is happy parked in the barn lol. I don't drive my 1981 F150 (my truck) in the salt and was thinking about squeezing it in a lean to, usually it sits in the spot my tractor sits during the winter, I have to move the lawn mover and some stuff to the barn to park my DD in the attached garage. I need to rearrange lol, snow is projected in 4 days and it's projected 6-8 inches. WHICH I CAN CLEAR WITH THE TRACTOR lol so excited.

 

[MF283]

Back on track, i drive by a house everyday where there is a storage building with lean to on the side with an old aluminum boat under it.
Ten feet away sit's a nice Harley out in the weather:confused3:

Ronnie

 

[tcreeley]

When I built my barn I did it myself. It was slow going and the metal roofing was not all on, and some just framed when winter came. I covered it with tarps and moved my two horses in from their small run in. The tax assessor showed up a few weeks later and when I asked if he was early as the building was still waiting on the metal roof and other work- he said they start taxing when it starts to be used.
The town knows what it is after!

 

[ch1ch2]

Yep, that's always amazed me, even more than the tractors sitting outside. All houses in this area are built with a garage, usually a 2 car garage. But I only know of one person in the area, besides ME, that parks a vehicle in the garage. They all sit outside in the driveway. I sure like to have mine in the garage, especially if it's extra hot, extra cold, raining, icy, etc., when I got to get in it to go somewhere.

My cars live outside. My stuff is in the garage. My stuff will ruin in the weather. My car will only age. My stuff will walk off if left outside. I have had 3 vehicles walk off but I did get a little money back for them each time. The stuff that has walked off several times has never reached the deductible but has totaled more than I lost on the vehicles.

My situation is it is better for my stuff to be inside out of the weather and out of sight from those whom believe they deserve it more than me.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

Back on track, i drive by a house everyday where there is a storage building with lean to on the side with an old aluminum boat under it.
Ten feet away sit's a nice Harley out in the weather:confused3:

Ronnie

There's a house about 1/2 a mile from mine that has no pit buildings of any kind with a brand new Suzuki 109R I believe it's called sitting outside in a gravel parking space, I think they bought it this past spring, at a few times this past summer they threw a tarp over it lol.

I had a storage locker for a few years when I rented and lived out of a little apartment, my bike lived in one half of that locker and I drove to the storage place, left my car in there gated area and would take rides on my bike, till I got my own place with my own garage. So I never understood the idea of leaving a bike outside all the time. It's really hard on there seats and fades any plastic with in a few years.