From the Northwest Indiana Times:
Porter Regional Hospital's decision to continue challenging the assessed value of its new facility as too high could end up costing the business 10 years of tax breaks granted by the county.
The tax abatement resolution approved in 2009 by the County Council requires the hospital build a structure valued at $130 million or more, according to a letter sent to the healthcare provider by council President Dan Whitten and Vice President Karen Conover.
Yet the hospital continues to argue the value of the site at Ind. 49 and U.S. 6 should be $39.3 million -- far below the county's assessment of $244.5 million -- which would be in "substantial non-compliance" with the abatement, the letter reads. The council, "may need to consider revoking the real property tax abatement."
"We cannot have the taxpayers double-hit by having a tax abatement on a substantially non-compliant property," Whitten and Conover wrote.
Hospital officials on Friday released a statement Friday which read, "We've not yet received this letter, but certainly want to work with the county to resolve this matter."
Other unaddressed questions muddying up the abatement question, as pointed out in the council letter, include when the 10 years of breaks start and whether an outpatient building next to the main hospital, yet not owned by it, qualifies for the abatement.
Whitten said the multiple issues need to be addressed expeditiously and will come up for discussion during the council's next meeting in April.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/hospital-appeal-jeopardizing-its-tax-breaks/article_728b7d71-9f72-589f-a16a-fc9291f6ac91.html
