The new Porter Regional Hospital is a unique operation in the county.
That's why, Porter County Assessor Jon Snyder testified Thursday, he needed to hire an outside appraiser to assist his office in getting a correct value for the property on U.S. 6.
But, Snyder told the court, nearly a year of efforts to get documentation from the hospital resulted in only denials.
Snyder testified for more than two hours Thursday in a court hearing which, if the county wins, would require the hospital to release 28 different items of information.
Stephen Brandenburg, an attorney representing Porter Hospital LLC, said the information being requested is "incredibly over broad and unnecessary for the assessment."
After Snyder's lengthy testimony, Porter County Circuit Judge Pro Tem David Matsey said he didn't believe the issue would be resolved Thursday, adjourned the proceedings and said the matter would be taken up again, possibly next week.
"I was told this was going to take a half-hour. I would think we have substantial effort left," Matsey said.
"There is something wrong when the hospital and building permit says the value is $200 million and the state numbers are $34 million," Snyder said about a 2012 assessment completed before the new hospital was completed. Snyder said he is allowed under state law and guidelines to use multiple pieces of information to come up with an accurate and fair assessment of the property.
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