Porter County Assessor Jon Snyder intends to mail State Form 11, Notice of Assessment, on Friday, Sept. 28, to all taxpayers in Porter County.

The assessor’s office will mail the forms out a full week sooner than last year’s mailing.

“This form is bittersweet” Snyder said. “Some assessments will go down and some will go up.”

It is important to note that 2012 is a reassessment year and that everything about an assessment has changed, Snyder said. The land value approved by the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals and the cost tables provided by the State of Indiana are completely different from prior years. Prior influence factors which impacted assessed value were also removed.

This will result in an entirely new assessment.

At the time of mailing the taxpayer will have 45 days to file an appeal with the County Assessor in order to challenge the assessed value provided. No exceptions will be granted for untimely filings.

A taxpayer may appeal during the timeframe at www.portercountyassessor.com

by mailing an appeal to 155 Indiana Ave, Ste, 211 Valparaiso, IN 46383, or by walking in between the extended hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The taxpayer will be asked immediately for evidence to support the appeal. This evidence may include comparable sales from March 2, 2010 – March 1, 2012, an appraisal from the same timeframe, or any other relevant support for the challenge.

This mailing marks an important step in the property tax billing cycle.

“It is a goal of my office to wrap all appeals filed before the tax bills are mailed next year but that will depend on the number of appeals filed,” Snyder said.

If this goal is reached then tax refunds with interest will not be necessary in 2013, added Snyder.

Posted 9/26/2012