Standing up for Taxpayers!

Working to eliminate St. Joe County’s Additional Property Tax!

In 2008, Indiana passed the 1-2-3 property tax cap law. Homeowners' property taxes are capped at 1% of assessed value, rental properties and farms at 2%, and commercial real estate at 3%.

While the 1-2-3 property tax caps are law in the State of Indiana, St. Joe County residents are paying more!

Indiana Code 6-1.1-20.6-7.5 allows St. Joseph County as an "eligible county" to exceed the 1%, 2%, and 3% caps in order to pay debt service or make lease payments for bonds or leases issued or entered into before July 1, 2008. St. Joseph County is eligible because of “debt service” for economically misguided projects such as the Football Hall of Fame in downtown South Bend.

This law was worded in such a way as to hide the fact that it was tailor-made for St. Joe and Lake Counties, making them an “eligible county.” This contradicts the spirit, if not the letter, of our State Constitution Article 4, Section 23 which states,

In all the cases enumerated in the preceding section, and in all other cases where a general law can be made applicable, all laws shall be general, and of uniform operation throughout the State.

But this is not the case with the 1%, 2%, 3% property tax caps in St. Joseph and Lake counties. This is simply not justice! Timothy Wesco will work and fight for legislation, such as was in Senate Bill 250 in the 2010 short session, to eliminate this tailor-made exclusion of St. Joseph County from the property tax caps.

Timothy Wesco believes the taxpayers of St. Joseph County should not have to pay for fiscal irresponsibility. Rather, these governments need to cut back and redirect funds from elsewhere to cover these irresponsible debts.