Wednesday, June 25, 2014

DLGF Publishes How To Guides for Local Governments

Because of the complexity of advertising and adopting budgets, tax rates, and tax levies, the Department of Local Government Finance has compiled “how-to” guides or “lists” for local units of government that walk them through each step in the advertisement and adoption process.

Each guide is tailored to a specific audience depending on the type of unit. The guides apply only to 2015 budgets, but will be updated and redistributed annually. The guides are meant to be helpful, but are not a substitute for reading the law. The extent anything in the guides conflicts with Indiana Code, Indiana Code governs and will be enforced.

List 1 is intended for use by units that adopt their own budgets, tax rates, and tax levies. These units normally have governing bodies consisting of a majority of elected officials. Here, these units’ budgets, tax rates, and tax levies are subject to “non-binding review” by the county fiscal body.

List 5 is intended for use by the fiscal bodies of units responsible for adopting the budgets, tax rates, and tax levies of other units. This process is commonly referred to as “binding adoption.” Lists 2 and 5 are thus interrelated.

The Guides may be found here:

http://www.in.gov/dlgf/2444.htm