'Let's get to the bottom of it,' SJC Assessor asks for patience amid property tax spikes, issues
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind.-- Because he was inundated with questions and concerns from homeowners, St. Joseph County Assessor Mike Castellon held a news conference Wednesday to try and put everything into context, and invite folks to upcoming town halls.
Across St. Joseph County, residents are seeing major spikes in property tax assessments, flooding the assessor's office with appeals and anger.
"Individuals see their property [assessments] raise, it's a concern," Castellon said to ABC57's Annie Kate. "Listen, it's important to them. You're seeing property values and taxes go up, but their pay's not going up."
Castellon is admittedly working to improve communication from his office, and held Wednesday's conference to put things into context, he said.
"There are four main factors behind the shift," he said, explaining there are reasons for the higher valuations.
One, he says, the COVID pandemic and the disruptions to the housing market, which drove up sale prices. Two, inflation and rising construction costs. Three, incorrect past data collection in the assessor's office.
And four, something the State of Indiana controls.
"Perhaps most importantly," Castellon said, "the Department of Local Government Finance raised the cost tables that reflect four years of inflationary values. Four years of inflationary values were put on the taxpayers in a single year."
Still, he knows there are issues remaining for thousands of homeowners, so he's asking for patience as he works his way through the mounting appeals.
"I'm trying to fix it, but you've got to give me time," he said. "I can't just roll out the fix day one, we have to find all the issues. And the appeal process helps me do that."
Meanwhile, ABC57 continues to hear complaints from residents all over the county, who say their property tax assessments simply don't add up.
"That's what I'm here for," Castellon said. "I have the tools, we have the staff, let's get to the bottom of it."
There are four upcoming town hall meetings open to the public with the St. Joseph County Assessor. Homeowners can hear directly from the assessor, challenge their assessments in real time with staff from his office, and can ask any questions they may have.
Town Hall Meetings