The Porter County Commissioners will seek an additional $150,000 toward the costs of consultants helping the county get its property tax billing straightened out.

Porter County Commissioner President Robert Harper said the claims submitted, totaling $58,200, exceed what’s currently available in the commissioners’ budget, $37,000. He said the commissioners agreed to seek the additional funds to cover the remaining costs, which could also include expenses related to the county assessor takeover of township assessing duties effective July 1.

The Porter County Council has retained four consultants to help the various county departments catch up with the property tax work. Like other counties, Porter County’s 2007 tax bills didn’t go out until nearly the end of the year, which in turn pushed back the tax work needed for this year’s bills.

One of the consultants, attorney Beth Henkel, a former commissioner of the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, has submitted an initial report that focuses largely on detailed steps needed to update and coordinate computer software systems used in assessing and tax bill preparation.

Harper commended the council for showing the leadership needed to resolve the property tax glitches once and for all. But he also said he fully expected the consulting costs to increase beyond what the council has already approved, especially since the consultants may be on board for throughout the year.

He also said he agrees with those who say that the county government has too many layers and that it would be more efficient to have appointed professionals handling the work. But he also said that the budgets currently don’t allow for the type of professional salaries that would be required, as evidenced by the costs of the consultants.

The council has so far approved a total of $72,000 for the consulting work; of that, $35,000 is expected to be paid for through the County Assessor’s reassessment fund. The remaining, or $37,000, is to come from the income tax funds overseen by the commissioners.

The remaining $150,000 is also expected to come from the income tax funds. The funding must still be finalized by the county council at its next meeting.