As the year narrows down, the numbers for La Porte County's general fund deficit have become more clear as to what will be expected for 2014.
Karl Cender from Cender and Company, presented the county's summary of revenues, expenditures and forecasted cash balances to the general fund for the ending year of 2013. Cender took the pending cash balance as of Sept. 30, 2013, and showed a county deficit of $32,263,481. He said that was confirmed with the auditor's record.
Following the number, Cender showed the receipts collected by the county for taxes with a return of 85 percent of taxpayers paying their 2012 and 2013 property taxes. A total was calculated with 85 percent return to $8,773,725. This number will hold true if the 2013 property tax bill is sent out by the end of this year, as originally projected.
Cender said this number is a little higher than the $8.5 million they projected a couple months ago.
Cender said he believes the deficit on Dec. 31, if the 2013 tax bill is sent out with 85 percent return, will be $26,773,413.
Cender also predicts the collection of the 2013 taxes for the first quarter of the year 2014 will be around $20,221,553. Additional excise taxes and other taxes calculated would make the total operating revenues of the first quarter at about $22,158,171.
The $22 million would lower the projected deficit of $26 million and the deficit would reduce in 2014 to around $4,615,242.
"Our projections in August were at about $2.7 million. So these are new numbers. I think these are showing a little more accurate picture," said Cender.
He said since taxpayers have until February 2014 to pay their 2012 property taxes, the county could expect a little more of a collection rate. The county has collected about 89 percent of the 2012 taxes which Cender said could be another $1 million to $2 million to the general fund.
"As you know, this is a moving target," said Cender. "The auditor is also working on refunds."
He said he will return to the December meeting with updated numbers.
The county may also look into tax sales in the future. The Department of Local Government Finance granted the county permission to have a tax sale for 2006 pay 2007 property taxes.
La Porte County Councilman Earl Cunningham also had comments on the the deficit that he shared with the board.
Cunningham used the figures from the La Porte County Auditor's office and said the general fund deficit as of Nov. 6 was $22,296,548.32 in the red.
He said 2014 will be the end of the tax fiasco but the hardest for the taxpayers because they will finish paying their 2012 taxes by February 2014, then have to make sure they pay their 2013 taxes and their 2014 taxes.
"And the people who are living and supporting their families on paycheck to paycheck are going to have a really hard time," said Cunningham. "It's going to be much better for the county but not for the taxpayers."
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