(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) the political subdivision if the department acts pursuant to an appeal initiated by the political subdivision;
3. (3) the taxpayer that initiated an appeal under section 13 of this chapter, or, if the appeal was initiated by multiple taxpayers, the first ten (10) taxpayers whose names appear on the statement filed to initiate the appeal; 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) If the department:

   1. (A) acts under an appeal initiated by one (1) or more taxpayers under section 13 of this chapter; or

   2. (B) fails to act on the appeal before the department certifies its action under subsection (i);

      a taxpayer who signed the statement filed to initiate the appeal.

3. (3) If the department acts under an appeal initiated by the county auditor under section 14 of this chapter, the county auditor.

4. (4) 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) For each budget year before 2019, not later than February 15 of that budget year.
2. (2) For each budget year after 2018, not later than December 31 of the year preceding that budget year, unless a taxing unit in a county is issuing debt after December 1 in the year preceding the budget year or intends to file a shortfall appeal under IC 6-1.1-18.5-16 .
3. (3) For each budget year after 2018, not later than January 15 of the budget year if a taxing unit in a county is issuing debt after December 1 in the year preceding the budget year or intends to file a shortfall appeal under IC 6-1.1-18.5-16 .

(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 requested increase is published on the department's advertising Internet web site and (before January 1, 2015) is published by the political subdivision according to a notice provided by the department; and

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

   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).

   [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.