Ind. Code § 6-1.1-17-3 – Formulation of local budgets, tax rates, and levies; public notice; availability on computer gateway; solid waste management districts; township trustee estimate of cost of township assistance

(a) The proper officers of a political subdivision shall formulate its estimated budget and its proposed tax rate and tax levy on the form prescribed by the department of local government finance and approved by the state board of accounts. In formulating a political subdivision's estimated budget under this section, the proper officers of the political subdivision must consider the net property tax revenue that will be collected by the political subdivision during the ensuing year, after taking into account the estimate by the department of local government finance under IC 6-1.1-20.6-11.1 of the amount by which the political subdivision's distribution of property taxes will be reduced by credits under IC 6-1.1-20.6-9.5 in the ensuing year, after taking into account the estimate by the department of local government finance under section 0.7 of this chapter of the maximum amount of net property tax revenue and miscellaneous revenue that the political subdivision will receive in the ensuing year, and after taking into account all payments for debt service obligations that are to be made by the political subdivision during the ensuing year. The political subdivision or appropriate fiscal body, if the political subdivision is subject to section 20 of this chapter, shall submit the following information to the department's computer gateway:
1. (1) The estimated budget.
2. (2) The estimated maximum permissible levy, as provided by the department under IC 6-1.1-18.5-24 .
3. (3) The current and proposed tax levies of each fund.
4. (4) The percentage change between the current and proposed tax levies of each fund.
5. (5) The amount by which the political subdivision's distribution of property taxes may be reduced by credits granted under IC 6-1.1-20.6 , as estimated by the department of local government finance under IC 6-1.1-20.6-11.1 .
6. (6) The amounts of excessive levy appeals to be requested.
7. (7) The time and place at which the political subdivision or appropriate fiscal body will hold a public hearing on the items described in subdivisions (1) through (6).
8. (8) The amount of any increase in the tax rate and tax levies of the political subdivision in an ordinance adopted under section 23 of this chapter.
9. (9) The time and place at which the political subdivision or appropriate fiscal body will meet to fix the budget, tax rate, and levy under section 5 of this chapter.
10. (10) The date, time, and place of the final adoption of the budget, tax rate, and levy under section 5 of this chapter.
  Except as provided in section 5.6(b) of this chapter, the political subdivision or appropriate fiscal body shall submit this information to the department's computer gateway at least ten (10) days before the public hearing required by this subsection in the manner prescribed by the department. If the date, time, or place of the final adoption subsequently changes, the political subdivision shall update the information submitted to the department's computer gateway. The department shall make this information available to taxpayers, at least ten (10) days before the public hearing, through its computer gateway and provide a telephone number through which taxpayers may request mailed copies of a political subdivision's information under this subsection. The department's computer gateway must allow a taxpayer to search for the information under this subsection by the taxpayer's address. The department shall review only the submission to the department's computer gateway for compliance with this section.
(b) The board of directors of a solid waste management district established under IC 13-21 or IC 13-9.5-2 (before its repeal) may conduct the public hearing required under subsection (a):
1. (1) in any county of the solid waste management district; and
2. (2) in accordance with the annual notice of meetings published under IC 13-21-5-2 .
(c) The trustee of each township in the county shall estimate the amount necessary to meet the cost of township assistance in the township for the ensuing calendar year. The township board shall, subject to section 23 of this chapter, adopt with the township budget a tax rate sufficient to meet the estimated cost of township assistance. The taxes collected as a result of the tax rate adopted under this subsection are credited to the township assistance fund.
(d) A political subdivision for which any of the information under subsection (a) is not submitted to the department's computer gateway in the manner prescribed by the department shall have its most recent annual appropriations and annual tax levy continued for the ensuing budget year.
(e) If a political subdivision or appropriate fiscal body timely submits the information under subsection (a) but subsequently discovers the information contains an error, the political subdivision or appropriate fiscal body may submit amended information to the department's computer gateway. However, submission of an amendment to information described in subsection (a)(1) through (a)(7) must occur at least ten (10) days before the public hearing held under subsection (a), and submission of an amendment to information described in subsection (a)(8) through (a)(9) must occur at least twenty-four (24) hours before the time in which the meeting to fix the budget, tax rate, and levy was originally advertised to commence.
(f) Each year, the governing body of a school corporation that imposes property taxes to pay debt service on bonds or lease rentals on a lease for a controlled project under IC 6-1.1-20 , property taxes under an operating referendum tax levy under IC 20-46-1 , or property taxes under a school safety referendum tax levy under IC 20-46-9 , shall submit the following information at least ten (10) days before the public hearing required by subsection (a) in the manner prescribed by the department:
1. (1) the purposes specified in the public question submitted to the voters or any revenue spending plans adopted under IC 6-1.1-20-13 , IC 20-46-1-8 , or IC 20-46-9-6 for:
  1. (A) debt service on bonds or lease rentals on a lease for a controlled project under IC 6-1.1-20 ;
  2. (B) an operating referendum tax levy approved by the voters of the school corporation under IC 20-46-1 ; or
  3. (C) a school safety referendum tax levy approved by the voters of the school corporation under IC 20-46-9 ;
    as applicable; and
2. (2) the debt service levy fund, operating referendum tax levy fund, or school safety referendum tax levy fund of the school corporation, whichever is applicable;
  to show whether the school corporation is using revenue collected from the referendum tax levy in the amounts and for the purposes established in the purposes specified in the public question submitted to the voters or the revenue spending plan, as applicable. The department shall make this information available to taxpayers at least ten (10) days before the public hearing.
  [Pre-1975 Property Tax Recodification Citations: 6-1-1-24 part; 6-1-46-5 part.]
  Formerly: Acts 1975, P.L.47, SEC.1. As amended by Acts 1981, P.L.45, SEC.5; P.L.34-1994, SEC.1; P.L.33-1994, SEC.1; P.L.1-1996, SEC.41; P.L.51-1996, SEC.1; P.L.49-1996, SEC.2; P.L.2-1997, SEC.17; P.L.50-1996, SEC.3; P.L.90-2002, SEC.148; P.L.178-2002, SEC.23; P.L.256-2003, SEC.14; P.L.73-2005, SEC.2; P.L.234-2005, SEC.3; P.L.162-2006, SEC.3; P.L.219-2007, SEC.49; P.L.224-2007, SEC.5; P.L.3-2008, SEC.41; P.L.146-2008, SEC.147; P.L.87-2009, SEC.6; P.L.136-2009, SEC.6; P.L.182-2009(ss), SEC.114; P.L.137-2012, SEC.23; P.L.183-2014, SEC.20; P.L.184-2016, SEC.6; P.L.257-2019, SEC.33; P.L.159-2020, SEC.22; P.L.38-2021, SEC.25; P.L.136-2021, SEC.2; P.L.220-2021, SEC.2; P.L.68-2025, SEC.55.