Auditor

Property Taxes 2020 -- Update

Property owners are reminded that if they haven’t already paid their spring installment of taxes, they have through July 10 to pay without incurring a  penalty. After July 10, the state-required penalty will be applied. The extension to pay without penalty was part of an executive order issued by Gov. Holcomb in  response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Porter County Auditor’s office, in conjunction with the Porter County Treasurer’s Office, has completed the spring tax settlement. More than $130 million in property taxes, excise taxes, fees, and assessments have been distributed to Porter County’s municipalities, schools, libraries, townships, and other taxing units. 

To view the distribution reports for Porter County taxing units (known as the Form 22), visit the "Settlement Reports" page on the Budget & Finance tab. You can also get there by clicking here.

Because not all tax revenue was collected by the May 11 due date because of the penalty waiver period, our office is planning another distribution later this summer. 

 Budget austerity measures now in place

The Porter County Council and Porter County Commissioners have jointly adopted a financial resolution in anticipation of potentially negative budgetary impacts due to the coronavirus. The resolution, adopted by the Council on May 26 and adopted by the Commissioners on June 9, calls for several austerity measures, including the following:

• Department heads must seek Council or Commissioner approval before moving forward with filling vacancies;
• Department heads must seek advance approval before authorizing any overtime or compensatory time for employees;
• Department heads seeking an additional appropriation from the general fund must first seek approval to get on the council agenda;
• The Porter County Auditor will utilize inter-fund borrowing to resolve departmental cash flow problems.

Tax rates 2020

The table below shows this year’s property tax rates with a comparison to the 2019 rates.

 To view the adopted budgets for Porter County government, see the "Budgets & Finance" tab or click here. 

New Deed Transfer Fee Now in Effect

 A number of new state laws affecting county auditor offices took effect July 1. One of these is a deed transfer fee increase to $10 per parcel. Under H.E.A. 1427, county auditors are now required to collect the higher fee for real property conveyances, with the fee revenue used for developing and maintaining plat books. We began implementing this new fee on July 1, in accordance with state statute.