Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Lizton, is the author of a bill with several property tax-lowering tweaks that have sparked fear in local units of government and schools that stand to lose out. He sits in the House Chamber on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. (Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Growing numbers of Indiana communities have sought property tax levies beyond their traditional caps thanks to rising property values. But lawmakers want to make it harder.
To make a maximum levy appeal based on three-year assessed value growth — the most common appeal type — the growth must exceed a statewide average growth quotient by at least 2%. New legislation would raise that that to 4%, drawing opposition from multiple local units of government Tuesday.
House Bill 1120 would further tackle high property taxes by extending a cap on school operating referendum levies, forcing districts with certain debt service rates to put big projects on the ballot and mandating lower values for large homesteads.