Stay Informed

Many farmers recently received an unwelcome surprise in their mailboxes: a notice from their county assessor’s office that their property assessments are slated to increase substantially in 2023.

          Around May 1, members in most Indiana counties received their new “Notice of Assessment” (also known as Form 11), which shows how much the taxable value of property, both land and structures, has changed between Jan. 1, 2021 (taxes paid in 2022) to Jan. 1, 2022 (taxes to be paid in 2023).

          “We have heard of increases in the range of 20% to 30% or more,” said Katrina Hall, INFB senior director of policy strategy and advocacy.

          “I saw a 35-40% increase in our assessed value – even on depreciated equipment,” said Craig Fruechte of Adams County. “They depreciated pretty significantly but the assessed value went up, and how is that possible?”

          Brian Homan of Jay County reported an average increase of about 20%. The problem is that as a contract hog grower, the price he receives on his hogs is locked in.

          “My income is not going to change for the next several years,” he said.

          Part of the reason for the increase, Hall said, is simply market conditions. The cost of construction, as well as the sale price of homes and land, have increased.

          “But that doesn’t mean there aren’t errors,” she explained. “Check that the size of your buildings, the age of those buildings, your acreage and all those factors are reported accurately on your property record card that can be found on the County Assessor’s website.  The details on each parcel’s property record card were used to determine the values on Notice of Assessments (Form 11).”

          Property owners who received their Form 11 by around May 1 had to have filed a request for an appeal of their 2023 taxes by June 15. However, Hall pointed out that even those who missed that deadline have until June 15 of next year to file an appeal on their 2024 taxes.

          In addition, a number of counties didn't send out Form 11s before May 1. A full list can be found on the Department of Local Government Finance’s website. Taxpayers in those counties have until June 15, 2023, to file an appeal.

          “Farm Bureau is talking to legislators to see what their thoughts are about this and see if there are any legislative remedies. We’re also talking with the Department of Local Government Finance and with county assessors.

“We really need members to tell us – and tell their legislators – how these changes are affecting them,” she said.

          Throughout the second half of this year, INFB will be investigating how the base values of farmland will be affected for future years by high commodity prices.

“We’ll be asking members to tell their stories so that we can get an idea of how much assessments have gone up. But in addition, we’re concerned about the uniformity of assessments across the state,” she said.

INFB has prepared some resources to help members understand the appeals process. You can find those resources by clicking here.