From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:
Allen County homeowners should expect moderate changes on their tax bills in 2012, with a few areas such as Huntertown and Monroeville seeing spikes and drops of more than 5 percent.
Allen County Auditor Tera Klutz recently calculated tax bills. They show some homeowners’ bills dropping by up to 7 percent and some spiking by nearly 6 percent.
Most people, including those in Fort Wayne, will see only modest changes in their bills, however. Residents in Fort Wayne will generally see about a 2 percent increase in their property tax bills this year unless their taxes have already hit the state-imposed caps.
The state constitution prevents homeowners from paying more than 1 percent of their home’s value in property taxes. Voters approved the provision in 2010.
This means a $100,000 home has a maximum tax of $1,000. The cap is 2 percent for rental property and farmland and 3 percent for businesses.
Taxes went up in Fort Wayne partly because the taxable value of property fell by nearly 1 percent in the city. If the amount of money being collected remains the same – Fort Wayne government held its property tax revenues flat – but there is less property value to tax, the tax rate must be increased.
The auditor’s comparisons assume a property has retained its tax value.
The largest increase for city residents is for those living in Aboite Township, where homeowners can expect to see jumps of about 4 percent because of an increased levy from Southwest Allen County Schools, according to the auditor.
Residents in Monroeville can expect to pay 5.6 percent more in taxes this year – the highest increase in the county – because of two factors.
The value of CME Corp. dropped significantly, reducing the tax base and forcing other residents taxes’ up to compensate. In addition, the town increased its taxes by 7 percent.
This increase means an owner of a $100,000 home will now pay $927.45, which remains slightly less than the taxes paid in New Haven or Fort Wayne.
In contrast, residents in Huntertown and Perry Township can expect to see a nearly 7 percent dip in their property tax bills. The town and township both reduced their property taxes for 2012 at the same time the area saw a growth in its tax base.
Northwest Allen County Schools, the largest taxing unit in the area, kept its taxes relatively flat.
The state also changed its formula for distributing local property tax relief, which provided more money to residents in this area than had been received in the past. An owner of a $100,000 home in Huntertown will pay $811.83 this year.
Klutz said most business owners and rental complex owners should expect similar tax bills as seen in 2011 because of relatively flat tax rates across the county.
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120329/LOCAL/303299979
