(h) The department of local government finance may not approve a levy for lease payments by a city, town, county, library, or school corporation if the lease payments are payable to a building corporation for use by the building corporation for debt service on bonds and if:

1. (1) no bonds of the building corporation are outstanding; or
2. (2) the building corporation has enough legally available funds on hand to redeem all outstanding bonds payable from the particular lease rental levy requested.

(i) The department of local government finance shall certify its action to:

1. (1) the county auditor;

2. (2) if the budget and levy of the political subdivision are being continued:

   1. (A) the state board of accounts;
   2. (B) the state comptroller; and
   3. (C) the department of state revenue;
3. (3) the political subdivision if the department acts pursuant to an appeal initiated by the political subdivision; and
4. (4) a taxpayer that owns property that represents at least ten percent (10%) of the taxable assessed valuation in the political subdivision.

(j) The following may petition for judicial review of the final determination of the department of local government finance under subsection (i):

1. (1) If the department acts under an appeal initiated by a political subdivision, the political subdivision.

2. (2) A taxpayer that owns property that represents at least ten percent (10%) of the taxable assessed valuation in the political subdivision.

   The petition must be filed in the tax court not more than forty-five (45) days after the department certifies its action under subsection (i).

(k) The department of local government finance is expressly directed to complete the duties assigned to it under this section as follows:

1. (1) Not later than December 31 of the year preceding that budget year, unless subdivision (2) applies.

2. (2) Not later than January 15 of the budget year if any of the following are true:

   1. (A) A taxing unit in a county intends to issue debt after December 1 in the year preceding the budget year and has indicated its intent to issue debt after December 1 in the year preceding the budget year as specified in section 5 of this chapter.
   2. (B) A taxing unit intends to file a shortfall appeal under IC 6-1.1-18.5-16 and has indicated its intent to file a shortfall appeal as specified in section 5 of this chapter.
   3. (C) The deadline for a city in the county to fix the budget, tax rate, and tax levy has been extended, in accordance with section 5.2 of this chapter, due to the executive's veto of the ordinance fixing the budget, tax rate, and tax levy.

(l) Subject to the provisions of all applicable statutes, and notwithstanding IC 6-1.1-18-1 , the department of local government finance shall, unless the department finds extenuating circumstances, increase a political subdivision's tax levy to an amount that exceeds the amount originally advertised or adopted by the political subdivision if:

1. (1) the increase is requested in writing by the officers of the political subdivision;

2. (2) the request includes:

   1. (A) the corrected budget, tax rate, or levy, as applicable; and
   2. (B) the time and place of the meeting described in subdivision (4);
3. (3) the political subdivision publishes the requested increase on the department's advertising website;
4. (4) the political subdivision adopts the needed changes to its budget, tax levy, or rate in a public meeting of the governing body; and

5. (5) notice is given to the county fiscal body of the department's correction.

   The political subdivision shall publish notice of the meeting described in subdivision (4) on the Indiana transparency website in the manner prescribed by the department not later than forty-eight (48) hours (excluding weekends and holidays) before the meeting. If the department increases a levy beyond what was advertised or adopted under this subsection, it shall, unless the department finds extenuating circumstances, reduce the certified levy affected below the maximum allowable levy by the lesser of five percent (5%) of the difference between the advertised or adopted levy and the increased levy, or one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000).

(m) If the department of local government finance has determined that the proposed tax levy for a political subdivision's budget exceeds the permissible tax levy for the political subdivision under section 23 of this chapter, the department of local government finance shall calculate and certify the allowable tax levy and tax rate for the political subdivision based on the provisions in section 23 of this chapter.

[Pre-1975 Property Tax Recodification Citations: 6-1-1-24.5; 6-1-46-8 part.]

Formerly: Acts 1975, P.L.47, SEC.1. As amended by P.L.73-1983, SEC.7; P.L.35-1990, SEC.7; P.L.35-1994, SEC.2; P.L.85-1995, SEC.3; P.L.86-1995, SEC.5; P.L.49-1996, SEC.4; P.L.50-1996, SEC.9; P.L.90-2002, SEC.156; P.L.256-2003, SEC.15; P.L.228-2005, SEC.21; P.L.2-2006, SEC.38; P.L.154-2006, SEC.44; P.L.169-2006, SEC.9; P.L.1-2007, SEC.42; P.L.146-2008, SEC.160; P.L.182-2009(ss), SEC.123; P.L.137-2012, SEC.26; P.L.218-2013, SEC.2; P.L.183-2014, SEC.21; P.L.149-2016, SEC.23; P.L.184-2016, SEC.11; P.L.257-2019, SEC.47; P.L.159-2020, SEC.24; P.L.38-2021, SEC.27; P.L.9-2024, SEC.169; P.L.68-2025, SEC.56.