Wanda English Burnett
Editor

Right on time tax bills were mailed last Thursday, April 1 from the Ripley County courthouse and should now be in the homes of all taxpayers of Ripley County.

Something new you will notice in your bill is a pink slip. The pink, or rose-colored form is the homestead verification form, and it must be completed if homeowners want to continue receiving the benefit of the homestead deduction.

Auditor Bill Wagner told the Osgood Journal it is imperative that homeowners fill out the form in order for them to maximize their deduction. “Everyone needs to fill out the pink form,” Wagner noted as the bills were being mailed last week.

The form should be mailed to the auditor’s office at PO Box 235, Versailles, IN 47042. Instead of mailing the form an alternative way is for taxpayers to send the information online to www.indiana-homestead.com.

According to information from Auditor Wagner, individuals or married couples claiming the homestead deduction must provide the last five digits of their driver’s license and social security numbers. He said this information will be put in a secure database that will allow all county auditors in Indiana to cross-check names, identifying those who may be claiming a homestead deduction in more than one county.
“The homestead deduction gives a qualifying individual or couple a substantial property tax benefit by lowering their property tax obligation,” Wagner noted. “When individuals who do not qualify receive this benefit, it costs other taxpayers more.”

The homestead deduction will allow homeowners who use a property as a primary residence to qualify for a reduction of up to 60 percent of the initial gross assessed value, plus up to an additional 35 percent of the remaining assessed value. Another important issue is that through the homestead deduction county assessors and auditors will identify taxpayers who will receive the benefit of the one percent property tax cap.

You can call the local auditor’s office about property tax deduction eligibility or the homestead verification form at 812-689-6311 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Additional information may be obtained from the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance’s web site at http://www.in.gov/dlgh/8455.htm.
Tax bills were a collaborative effort of the auditor, treasurer, Earline Copeland, and assessor, Shawna Bushhorn.

Bills are due by May 10. The treasurer’s office will have extended hours for the convenience of property taxpayers. They will be open regular hours May 3 and 4, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; May 5 through 7, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Monday, May 10 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For questions concerning payment you can contact Copeland at 812-689-6352.

WANDA ENGLISH BURNETT PHOTO Pictured are Samantha Thompson, front and Amy Copeland, back, both deputies in the Ripley County Treasurer's Office, as they ran the property tax bills through the postage machine last Thursday just before the bills were taken to the post office to be mailed.