At its meeting Thursday afternoon in the Indiana Convention Center, the tax-exempt CIB initiated its appeal of a quickly drafted property assessment used by the council last month as the basis for a $15 million payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT.
CIB leaders said they couldn’t afford the $15 million hit. They also said the council improperly added the charge to the CIB’s $63.9 million operating budget for 2013 to skirt the chance of a mayoral veto.
“Clearly, you never want to have to go down this path,” CIB President Ann Lathrop said after the meeting. “But it is incumbent upon us to be thoughtful about the future needs of this board.”
Two of the CIB’s nine members were absent: Lewis, a council appointee, and Jay Postesta, a mayoral appointee. Lewis said she was tied up with her full-time job.
The CIB approved a resolution calling for the tax assessment appeal, which starts with Marion County Assessor Joseph O’Connor. That process likely will take months, especially since O’Connor hasn’t yet sent the CIB formal notice of its assessment.
The CIB also directed Lathrop to seek guidance from the Indiana Board of Accounts about how the PILOT will affect the CIB’s budget and to preserve other legal options.
A lawsuit, however, likely would need another vote.
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CIB leaders said they couldn’t afford the $15 million hit. They also said the council improperly added the charge to the CIB’s $63.9 million operating budget for 2013 to skirt the chance of a mayoral veto.
“Clearly, you never want to have to go down this path,” CIB President Ann Lathrop said after the meeting. “But it is incumbent upon us to be thoughtful about the future needs of this board.”
Two of the CIB’s nine members were absent: Lewis, a council appointee, and Jay Postesta, a mayoral appointee. Lewis said she was tied up with her full-time job.
The CIB approved a resolution calling for the tax assessment appeal, which starts with Marion County Assessor Joseph O’Connor. That process likely will take months, especially since O’Connor hasn’t yet sent the CIB formal notice of its assessment.
The CIB also directed Lathrop to seek guidance from the Indiana Board of Accounts about how the PILOT will affect the CIB’s budget and to preserve other legal options.
A lawsuit, however, likely would need another vote.
...
